Prichard Colón Meléndez was born on September 19, 1992, in Maitland, Florida. He moved to Puerto Rico with his family at the age of 10 to represent the island in boxing competitions. Colón gained fame as an amateur boxer, winning multiple national championships in Puerto Rico and had a promising career ahead.
He turned pro in 2012 and made his debut in February 2013. His boxing record was impressive, with 16 wins out of 17 total fights. Quite a prospect.
Table of Contents
The Fateful Match
On October 17, 2015, Colón faced Terrel Williams in a match that would alter his life forever.
During the match, Colón was subjected to illegal punches to the back of his head, known as “rabbit punches.” For reference the view the following video. This is the footage of the actual match between the boxers:
Despite complaining to the referee, Joe Cooper, the fight continued. After the ninth round, Colón’s corner mistakenly removed his gloves, leading to his disqualification. Colón left the ring dizzy and collapsed shortly after, suffering from a severe brain hemorrhage. He remained in a coma for 221 days and was left in a persistent paralyzed state. It can be clearly seen in the video that the referee, the doctor everyone not sure was not existent.
How is Prichard Colon doing now ?
Well when you hit rock bottom the only way to progress is upwards. Prichard’s progress has been an inspiration for a lot of people. And he can be seen in the following Instagram ID where his family posts regular updates of his progress.
Here’s a video of him having fun outside his home.
Terrel Williams what happened to him ?
Well nothing happed to that scum at all not sure how but there was no disciplinary actions on him. But, internet has long memory you see they don’t forget nor let you forget and I personally feel its a poetic justice. He went on to have four more professional fights before retiring in 2019. Tyrell Williams has expressed that he prays for Colón every day and wishes him peace and health. Please let me know how a man deliberately destroying another man caught with multiple cameras on multiple occasions in the single match is walking free.
Recent Updates
As of 2023, Prichard Colón has shown inspiring progress. He recently celebrated his 31st birthday, and his mother, Nieves, continues to work closely with him on his rehabilitation. Although Colón’s speech has not yet returned, he was seen posing for a selfie with his mother just weeks ago, much to the delight of his 60,000 Instagram followers. His mother also runs a Facebook page in his name, which has 115,000 followers. On his birthday, the page was flooded with well-wishes from around the globe.
The Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, which regulates boxing in the state, stated that while Colón’s medical condition is tragic, there is not one action so apparent and/or egregious to justify laying blame on any one person.
Legal Actions
Colón’s parents filed a $50 million lawsuit against the ringside doctor Dr. Richard Ashby and the promoters of the fight HeadBangers Boxing and DiBella Entertainment, claiming negligence. The lawsuit has not yet been settled. Justice system 1-0-1.
Conclusion
Well its an awe inspiring story worth a long form documentary. Hopefully Nexflix or Prime actually picks this up instead of low IQ filler content. Some stories are supposed to be immortalized. I am sure this is one of them.
I personally hope to see him back on the ring throwing punches at his opponents. Prichard you are an internet legend.