Former Boxer Prichard Colon Dies at 33 After Nearly 11 Years Living With Severe Brain Injury

Former professional boxer Prichard Colon has died at the age of 33, according to his father, Richard Colon.

The Puerto Rican boxer suffered a traumatic brain injury during a welterweight bout against Terrel Williams in October 2015 in Fairfax, Virginia.

Colon, who was 23 at the time, was repeatedly struck at the back of the head during the fight and complained several times about the blows. He was also knocked down during the contest.

The injuries left Colon in a permanent vegetative state, after which he was cared for by his family.

His father announced his death in a Facebook post on Thursday, expressing regret that he had been unable to fulfil his son’s wish of taking him on vacation to Puerto Rico.

Prichard Colon had built a promising professional career before the 2015 fight. He entered the bout with an unbeaten record of 16 victories and 13 knockouts and was regarded as one of boxing’s emerging prospects.

Following news of his death, members of the boxing community paid tribute to the former junior middleweight contender.

World Boxing Organization president Gustavo Olivieri described Colon as a fighter whose courage, perseverance and fighting spirit remained remarkable despite the devastating injuries he suffered.

The World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association also paid tribute to Colon, describing him as a true warrior.

The circumstances surrounding the 2015 fight had previously attracted scrutiny.

A 2016 investigative report commissioned by the state of Virginia concluded that although Colon’s medical condition was tragic, investigators did not identify a single action considered sufficiently obvious or egregious to justify placing blame on one individual.

Colon remained severely disabled after the bout, with his family providing long-term care for him.

In 2017, his parents filed a $50 million lawsuit against the ringside doctor and promoters involved in the fight. No publicly announced settlement or final decision from the case was included in the available report.

Colon spent nearly 11 years living with the consequences of the injuries before his death at 33.

His story has continued to draw attention to fighter safety, ringside medical supervision and the dangers of repeated blows to the head in professional boxing.