Prichard Coln Bio, Injury, Coma & Career

Posted by Fernande Dalal on Monday, May 6, 2024

Who is Prichard Colón?

Prichard Colón is a well-known American athlete. A boxer and honorary WBC World Champion, Prichard Colón won a gold medal at the 2010 Panamerican Youth Championship in the 64 kg category. In 2015, Prichard Colón appeared against Terrel Williams at the Eagle Bank Arena. 

Colón lost the fight in which Williams attacked him with multiple blows illegally in the back of the head. After the fight, Colón vomited and collapsed in his dressing room, and rushed to the hospital. The boxer was diagnosed with brain bleeding and went into a coma for 221 days. This fight ultimately ended Colón’s boxing career. 

Table of Contents

Quick Facts

Full NamePrichard Colón Meléndez 
Also Known asPrichard Colón, Digget
BirthdaySeptember 19, 1992
Sun signVirgo
Age 31 years old
TraitsPositive- Competitive, intelligent, and reliable
Negative- Self-pitying, arrogant, and lazy
BirthplaceMaitland, Florida, USA
NationalityAmerican
ReligionChristian
EthnicityHispanic
EducationUniversidad del Sagrado Corazón
GenderMale
Sexual OrientationStraight
Height6 feet
EyesBrown
HairDark Brown
ParentsRichard Colón (father)
Nieves Colon Meléndez (mother)
SiblingsNatalie Colon Melendez (sister)
Marital statusUnmarried
ChildrenNone
Profession Professional boxer
Net Worth$100,000 to $5 Million

Interesting Facts

  • Prichard Colón is a former American boxer. His boxing career came to an end on October 17, 2015, during a fight against Terrel Williams. During the fight, Williams attacked Colón with repeated illegal punches to the back of the head, eventually leaving the then 23-year-old boxer in a persistent vegetative state. 
  • Colón is an honorary WBC World Champion and a gold medal winner at the 2010 Panamerican Youth Championship. 
  • He attended the Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in San Juan, Puerto Rico where he pursued a degree in Business Administration. 
  • After the tragic incident that left Prichard Colón comatose, his parents filed a lawsuit seeking damages of more than $50 million in 2017. The lawsuit has not yet been settled. 
  • In the present, Colón remains in his mother’s home in Orlando, Florida, where he has been taking physical therapy. His health has noticeably improved even though the doctors indicate a minimal to no chance of full recovery.  
  • Prichard Colón Birthday

    Prichard Colón was born on September 19, 1992. He was born in Maitland, Florida, USA. Currently, he is 31 years old.

    Height, Measurements, and Appearance

    Prichard Colón stands tall at the height of 6 feet. In boxing, the professional boxer falls within the light middleweight, super welterweight, or junior middleweight weight category. This is considered a heavy class in combat sports.

    Prichard has dark brown hair and brown eyes. Likewise, he also maintains some facial hair which adds to his overall attractiveness. 

    Nationality, Ethnicity, and Religion

    Prichard Colón was born in Maitland, Florida, USA. Hence, he is an American

    When it comes to his ethnicity, Colón belongs to a Hispanic ethnic background. In addition, Colón is a follower of Christianity. 

    Early Life, Parents, and Upbringing

    Born in Maitland, Florida, Prichard Colón is the son of Nieves Meléndez and Richard Colón. His parents are Nieves Meléndez and Richard Colón. Colón’s mother, Nieves, is a retired waitress and presently works at a beauty salon. His father, Richard Colón, is a former boxer.

    Richard had a huge role in encouraging Prichard to take up a career in boxing. A former boxer himself, Richard provided boxing lessons to his son in their garage. 

    Considering their son’s immense talent, Nieves and Richard Colón decided to relocate to their native country of Puerto Rico to represent the country in international competitions. So, when Prichard was just 10 years old, the family moved and settled in the rural town of Orocovis, Puerto Rico. 

    Nieves Meléndez and Richard Colón ended their marriage after several years together. However, despite ending their marriage, both Prichard and Nieves continue to seek justice for their son and take care of Prichard together. 

    In 2017, Nieves and Richard filed a lawsuit seeking more than $50 million from the ringside doctor and promoters related to the unfortunate boxing match held on October 17, 2015, leaving their son Prichard in a vegetative state. While the lawsuit has not been settled yet, Prichard’s parents believe it will probably never be settled.

    Nieves Meléndez has been taking care of Prichard in her Winter Park, Florida, home and continues to upload videos of Colón’s improving health on YouTube. In fact, she was the one who helped Prichard to the dressing room after he vomited and collapsed following the fight. 

    Likewise, Richard Colón traveled 1,200 miles to attend Terrel Williams’ final fight against Rosemberg Gomez at the 2017 Premier Boxing Champions and voice his displeasure at Williams’ weigh-in. 

    When the announcer introduced Williams during the weigh-ins, Richard Colón protested from the audience, saying,

    “Yo, yo, yo, look over here, this is the guy who put my son in a coma.”

    He held up a sign reading, “Boxing NEEDS TO REFORM, # PRAY 4 Prichard Colón.” and sported a sign reading “STOP THE FIGHT.” on his head. 

    Similarly, during the proceedings, Richard covered his mouth with a tape that said, “NO MORE COMAS.” The former boxer was ushered out by security following his outburst. 

    Later, he gave an interview to ESPN’s Outside the Lines and expressed that Williams should not be allowed to return to boxing after his illegal punches that left his son bedridden. Yet, despite a bleak prognosis, both Nieves and Richard remain optimistic that their dearest son will someday regain at least some brain function. 

    As Prichard remains incapacitated in his Florida home, his mother takes care of him and his daily needs. Likewise, his father, Richard, visits him and Nieves daily to assist Prichard’s care. Similarly, Richard often takes Prichard for rides in their locality in a wheelchair and reads to him, hoping that something will register someday. 

    Career

    After kickstarting his career at the Albergue Olímpico in Salinas, Puerto Rico, Prichard Colón was nicknamed “Digget”. His nickname originated from the word “digger,” relating to his height.

    In his early career, Prichard Colón won 5 national championships in both the 141 and 152-pound divisions. In addition, he bagged the gold medal at the 2010 Pan American Youth Championship in the 64 kg category. 

    After deciding to pursue a professional boxing career in 2012, Colón ended his amateur career with a record of 170–15. Making his professional debut on February 23, 2013, against Xavier La Salle at the Cosme Beitía Salamo, Colón successfully knocked out LaSalle in the first round. 

    In 2013, Colón appeared in 5 fights, and in 2014, he fought 7 times. Colón gained international fame on September 9, 2015, in the match against Vivian Harris. Even though Harris was a more experienced fighter than Colón, Colón knocked Harris out in the fourth round and won the fight. 

    Colón’s last fight took place on October 17, 2015. The professional boxer appeared in an undercard fight against Terrel Williams at the EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia, which he lost. 

    Prichard Colón Brain Injury and Coma

    When Colón and Williams fought against each other in the EagleBank Arena on October 17, 2015, nobody had expected the fight to be Colón’s last. But, instead, the professional boxers fought each other for nine rounds. In the first five rounds, Colón took the lead. After that, Terrel Williams repeatedly charged Colón with illegal punches in the back of the head. 

    Even though Colón complained to the referee regarding the illegal punches, the referee ignored the complaints and replied. “You take care of it.” Nevertheless, when Colón punched Williams with a low blow, he was penalized 2 points. Similarly, Williams kept making cutthroat gestures at Prichard in the fifth and seventh rounds of the fight. 

    After being hit with multiple illegal punches to the back of the head, Colón was knocked down for the first time in his professional career during the ninth round of the fight. Despite experiencing dizziness and head pain, Colón assured the ringside doctor, Richard Ashby, that he could continue with the fight.

    Ashby cleared Colón and allowed the fight to go on. However, Colón faced a ninth-round disqualification after his corner mistakenly removed his gloves, thinking the fight had ended. After the battle ended, Colón experienced nausea and was incoherent. 

    Colón was taken to the hospital after he vomited and collapsed in his dressing room. He was diagnosed with brain bleeding, and an emergency brain surgery evacuated a subdural hematoma. 

    Colón slipped into a coma for 221 days and received treatment at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Virginia and Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The star boxer who once ruled the boxing ring was pronounced to be persistent vegetative. 

    Today, Colón recovers in his mother’s Florida home, and the boxer has shown great improvements in his health. However, according to his doctors, Colón has “got a mark on the CT scan that shows like a black spot — that it’s too large for him to recuperate.”

    Colón has been undergoing physical therapy. He now responds to verbal commands, and according to his mother, Prichard has been learning how to communicate through a computer. 

    What happened to Terrel Williams after the fight?

    Terrel Williams became entangled in controversy after the October 2015 fight landed his opponent Prichard Colón in an incapacitated state. Since the fight, Terrel has only appeared in three fights. 

    While Nieves Meléndez and Richard Colón haven’t named Terrel Williams in the lawsuit worth $50 million, they believe that Terrel deserves the blame for what happened to their son. Terrel stated that the “fight haunts” him in an interview with ring TV. 

    Williams mentioned that despite wanting to go to the hospital and check on Colón, he was not allowed to do so. He further said,

    “I’ve made attempts to reach his family. I found out the next day on social media, he had a brain bleed. There was all of this social media negativity and I tried not to pay attention to it. I wanted to talk to his family. I have three boys myself, 4, 2, and a newborn. I’m putting my focus into raising my family.”

    In a September 2017 interview, Terrel Williams talked about the tragic accident that left Prichard Colón in a comatose state. He said,

    “I pray for Prichard every day. That’s never going to change. I wish him nothing but peace and health. No one wants what happened to Prichard to happen to anybody. All boxers are brothers.”

    Prichard Colón Net Worth

    As of 2022, Prichard Colón has an estimated net worth of approximately $100,000 to $5 Million. He has accumulated an impressive net worth as a professional boxer throughout his career. 

    However, since his boxing career came to a halt following his unfortunate brain injury, Colón’s net worth has declined. Regardless of this, Colón leads a comfortable life thanks to his remarkable earnings during his former boxing career. 

    Social Media

    Prichard Colón is not active on any social networking platforms. However, for fans of Colón wishing to get details of the former boxer’s whereabouts, Colón’s mother, Nieves Meléndez, maintains a YouTube channel through which she provides updates about Prichard’s improving health. 

    Judging by the video, Prichard Colón’s health seems to be improving. The boxer can be seen standing up on his own, moving his legs, rolling on the bed without any assistance, and responding to his mother through nonverbal gestures. 

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