Prichard Colón is a boxer whose life changed for the worse back in 2015.
Back then, he was an undefeated boxer with a bright future. Now, he is battling to fully recover from a left-sided subdural hematoma, which has left him with significant physical and neurological impairments.
As of Jan. 18, 2024, Colón's speech has not yet returned. He remains unable to walk on his own, since his mobility is severely hampered by his condition.
However, a recent update was shared on Instagram that appears to show Colón standing with minimal assistance, marking some improvement.
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Last year, Colón's mother shared an update on her son celebrating his 31st birthday. The video showed him smiling in response to a birthday cake, after which he received a signed boxing glove from reggaeton legend Daddy Yankee, who is from the ex-boxer's native Puerto Rico.
Check out Prichard Colon meeting Daddy Yankee in the clip below:
While he can neither walk nor talk, Colón uses a mobile chair for movement and a specialized computer designed to facilitate his communication. Colón's tragic condition is the consequence of several fouls from his 2015 bout with Terrel Williams.
Their boxing match was questionable from the start. The two men were tasked with replacing the Andre Direll vs. Blake Caparello matchup, which had fallen through due to medical reasons. Furthermore, Colón was not afforded enough time to prepare, as the fight was made just a month after he had beaten Vivian Harris.
Nevertheless, the two men squared off in the ring. Unfortunately, Colón was the recipient of repeated illegal blows to the back of the head. Despite directing his complains to referee John Cooper, Colón's concerns were dismissed. By round nine, the Puerto Rican had been knocked down out of diziness.
He was disqualified from the bout after his corner stepped into the ring to remove his gloves, mistakenly believing the fight to be over. After being assisted backstage, Colón was unable to speak clearly and began vomiting, before collapsing on to the ground. Thereafter, he was transported to the hospital.
What is Prichard Colón's condition?
Upon receiving medical attention, Prichard Colón was diagnosed with a left-sided subdural hematoma, which was the result of severe brain trauma from Terrel Williams repeatedly hitting him in the back of his head.
It caused the veins in his brain to bleed, leading to blood filling the area, compressing Colón's brain tissue.
He immediately underwent emergency brain surgery to reduce the swelling and went into a coma for 221 days, after which he was in a persistent vegetative state.
Colón was treated for several weeks before being placed in his mother's care.