Prichard Colón’s father spent years hoping to fulfill one of his son’s wishes. Now, he has announced the former boxer’s death at 33.
Richard Colón’s announcement brought an outpouring of tributes while reopening questions about the 2015 fight that ended his son’s boxing career and the decisions that followed.
A Facebook commenter was among those mourning Prichard Colón, offering condolences to his family and remembering him as a champion. The message reflected the grief expressed by supporters following news of his death. | Source: Facebook/WBCBOXING
Richard announced his son’s death on Facebook. In a message translated from Spanish, he wrote, “Good morning my people. I regret to inform you of the passing of my son Prichard from this earthly world, NOW HE IS in a better world.”
Richard also shared a wish he had been unable to fulfill. “I did everything possible to fulfill HIS WISH, HIS DREAM of bringing him ON VACATION to Puerto Rico as much as he desired but COULDN’T,” Richard explained.
Months before the fight that changed his life, Prichard Colón was competing against Daniel Calzada at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on April 11, 2015. The image captures Prichard during his active boxing career, before the traumatic brain injury that would later alter his life. | Source: Getty Images
He thanked supporters for “so many years of love and prayers” and asked them to continue praying for the family. The announcement did not provide a cause of death.
Some Netizens Blamed Williams and the Referee
On Instagram, one netizen said, “Referee and Williams should have been charged with something when it happened.” Another user shared, “Where’s Terrel and the referee now they should both go to jail.”
A third focused on Prichard’s death rather than blame, writing, “One of the saddest stories 💔💔💔 RIP 🕊️.”
On Facebook, some commenters posted tributes to Prichard after news of his death. One person remarked, “This one hurt bad man. God bless his family. R.I.P. Champ.”
Prichard stood in the ring during the October 17, 2015, bout against Terrel Williams that would become central to his story for years afterward. Following Prichard’s death at 33, some social media users again blamed Terrel and the fight’s referee. | Source: Getty Images
Another wrote, “Very sad news I thought he was getting better in recent history. Rest in peace Prichard.” Someone else shared, “Our hearts are broken over this news RIP Champ you are loved 💔.”
Boxing Organizations Joined the Tributes
The World Boxing Organization (WBO) remembered Prichard for his courage, resilience, and the support he received from his family throughout the years after his boxing career ended, according to its official statement on X.
Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) also offered condolences to Prichard’s family and loved ones and marked his life with the years 1992-2026, as stated in its official Facebook post.
The World Boxing Association (WBA) wrote, “We mourn the passing of Prichard Colón.” It called him a “true warrior” and said he left lessons about life, resilience and boxing, according to its Instagram post.
Mauricio Sulaimán, president of the World Boxing Council (WBC), also paid tribute to Prichard in a post on X, highlighting the years of care provided by Prichard’s mother, Nieves, his father and the friends who remained close to him.
Before his career ended, Prichard had built a 16-1 professional record. BoxRec lists the Puerto Rican super welterweight as having fought 17 times from 2013 to 2015, with 13 wins by knockout, according to its official fighter database.
The Injury That Ended Colón’s Boxing Career
Prichard faced Terrel Williams on October 17, 2015, in Fairfax, Virginia. According to a 2017 ESPN report, Prichard suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of the bout and was rushed to Inova Fairfax Hospital with his mother, Nieves Melendez, at his side.
By May 2017, Prichard was being cared for at home by his mother, Nieves, after the traumatic brain injury that ended his boxing career. The photo shows the long-term effects of the injury nearly two years after his final fight. | Source: Getty Images
There, a CT scan revealed a subdural hematoma. Doctors performed emergency brain surgery to relieve pressure on his skull, but the outlet reported that it was too late to restore Prichard to anything resembling the athlete who had entered the ring hours earlier.
“It’s a nightmare,” Nieves told ESPN. “Everything changed that day, that night, [it] was awful.”
By May 2017, Prichard was being cared for by his mother, Nieves, and father, Richard at the family’s home in Winter Park, Florida. The former boxer was in a vegetative state after suffering a traumatic brain injury during his bout against Terrel Williams. | Source: Getty Images
The fight footage shows several disciplinary incidents. In the fifth round, Prichard was penalized two points for a low blow. Terrel was docked one point in the seventh round for a punch to the back of Prichard’s head.
Terrel knocked Prichard down twice in the ninth round. After the round, Prichard’s corner began removing his gloves because they mistakenly believed the scheduled 10-round fight had ended.
Prichard did not continue into the 10th round and was disqualified, giving Terrel the victory. The events that followed went far beyond the official result.
Prichard Colón’s Parents Filed a Multimillion-Dollar Lawsuit
In 2017, Prichard’s parents filed a lawsuit seeking more than $50 million from ringside physician Dr. Richard Ashby and promoters connected to the fight, according to ESPN’s Outside the Lines.
The lawsuit alleged medical malpractice by Ashby and negligence by co-promoters HeadBangers Boxing and DiBella Entertainment.
The complaint alleged that Ashby failed to act after Prichard repeatedly indicated that the back of his head hurt. It also alleged that Prichard reported dizziness and pain in the back of his head during the seventh round after a punch from Terrel sent him to the canvas.
Prichard Colón sits in his corner during his October 17, 2015, bout against Terrel Williams in Fairfax, Virginia. The fight later became the focus of a lawsuit alleging failures in medical care and fighter safety. | Source: Getty Images
The family further alleged that Ashby lacked the background needed to adequately protect the fighters. The lawsuit also raised a possible conflict of interest because Ashby worked as a boxing promoter.
The promoters were accused of failing to provide a physician with the necessary qualifications and of failing to follow proper procedures for possible brain injuries. ESPN reported that boxing did not have an industry-wide traumatic brain injury protocol at the time.
Dr. John Stiller, chief physician and neurologist for the Maryland State Athletic Commission, told Outside the Lines that he watched the fight live and later reviewed a recording.
Prichard holds the back of his head after taking a punch from Terrel during the bout. His family later alleged that he reported pain and dizziness during the fight and that the ringside doctor failed to act. | Source: Getty Images
“The fight should have been stopped at that moment [in the seventh round], and I still cannot think of a medically sound reason it wasn’t,” Dr. John said.
He said a boxer reporting headache and dizziness after blows to the head required an immediate stoppage. In his view, ending the bout in the seventh round would have given Prichard “the best chance to limit the evolving injury.”
ESPN reported that Virginia’s Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) investigated the fight and concluded that no single action justified placing blame on one person for Prichard’s condition. The department’s report appears to be no longer available through the link cited by the outlet.
Prichard holds his head after falling to the canvas during his bout against Terrel Williams in Fairfax, Virginia. | Source: Getty Images
The investigation also noted that David Holland, who headed Virginia’s boxing program, believed referee Joseph Cooper could have been more aggressive in controlling the foul-heavy fight.
Richard Colón Protested Terrel Williams’ 2018 Weigh-In
In September 2018, Richard protested at a PBC weigh-in at Barclays Center in New York, where Terrel was scheduled to appear on an undercard.
Richard Colón protested at a Premier Boxing Champions weigh-in at Barclays Center in 2018, nearly three years after his son’s final fight. He carried a sign criticizing the promotion of fighters he believed had competed dangerously. | Source: Getty Images
Richard carried signs calling for reform in boxing and criticizing the promotion of fighters he believed had fought dangerously.
Richard also held a sign calling for reform in boxing and warning against future tragedies. He said his goal was to prevent other families from going through what his family had experienced. | Source: Getty Images
Richard said his goal was not to undo what had happened to his son. “I don’t want people to get hurt,” Richard said after the protest. “This isn’t going to cure my son, I just don’t want other families to go through what we’ve been through.”
Terrel Williams Denied Trying to Hurt Prichard Colón
Terre addressed Prichard’s condition three days after the fight in an October 20, 2015, interview with the Los Angeles Times. By then, Prichard had undergone brain surgery and remained in a coma.