Prichard Colón never lost a fight in the ring. He lost it afterward, in a bed, during 221 days in a coma.
He was 22 years old and undefeated, with 16 victories, when he stepped into the ring on October 17, 2015. Terrel Williams repeatedly struck him in the back of the head, illegal blows that the referee did not stop in time.
A subdural hematoma permanently devastated his brain. Since then, his mother Nieves Meléndez cared for him 24 hours a day, without rest, for eleven years.
Boxing responded as best it could: in 2016 it created the “Prichard Colón Rule” to protect other fighters, and in 2021 the World Boxing Council presented him with an honorary belt that he could no longer hold with his own hands.
This Thursday, August 13, his father Richard confirmed the news the family had expected and feared: Prichard died at 33. Although his legacy will live on forever.