Colón was one of Puerto Rico’s promising young fighters before his life changed on October 17, 2015, at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia. He was 23 years old and 16-0 with 13 knockouts when he faced Williams.
The fight became increasingly disturbing as Colón repeatedly complained to referee Joe Cooper about punches landing behind his head. Footage of the bout shows Williams hitting Colón in that area numerous times as the two fought at close range.
The most serious incident came in the seventh round. Williams landed a right to the back of Colón’s head and neck while Colón was turning away. Colón went down, grabbed the back of his head and remained on his knees. Cooper deducted a point from Williams for the illegal punch.
Colón continued fighting. Williams dropped him twice in the ninth round. After the round, Colón’s corner removed his gloves because they mistakenly believed the scheduled 10-round fight was over. Colón was disqualified when he was unable to continue. The result on his record quickly became insignificant.
After leaving the ring, Colón became ill in his dressing room and was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital. Doctors discovered bleeding on the left side of his brain, and emergency surgery was performed to relieve the pressure.
Colón fell into a coma that lasted 221 days. When he eventually regained consciousness, the damage was severe. He required extensive rehabilitation and long-term assistance from his family. Over the years, videos showed him undergoing physical therapy and responding to commands as his family continued working with him.
The circumstances surrounding his final fight followed Colón for the remainder of his life. His parents later filed a lawsuit seeking more than $50 million in damages from the ringside doctor and promoters, alleging negligence in the handling of his injuries.
His father also maintained that the repeated illegal punches from Williams caused the brain bleed that incapacitated his son. Colón never fought again.
Before the tragedy, he had been moving quickly through the professional ranks. He fought seven times in 2014 and had already competed four times in 2015 before facing Williams. Just five weeks before his final bout, Colón knocked out former WBA light welterweight champion Vivian Harris in the fourth round. His professional record ended at 16-1 with 13 knockouts.
For more than a decade after the Williams fight, Colón’s parents and family cared for him while documenting portions of his rehabilitation. His father said Thursday that he had hoped to take his son back to Puerto Rico for a vacation that Colón deeply wanted, but they were unable to make the trip. Prichard Colón was 33.
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