Former boxer Colon dies a decade after suffering brain injury

Former boxer Prichard Colon died Thursday at age 33, ten years after suffering brain injury, confirmed his father Richard Colon, on social media.

Prichard Colon suffered a traumatic brain injury during a welterweight fight against Terrel Williams on October 2015 in Viriginia. During the fight he repeatedly complained – and was knocked down once – from blows to the back of head.

 The injuries resulted in Colon being left in a persistent vegetative state and under family care, as documented in this "Outside the Lines" report.

"Good morning, my people," Richard Colon wrote on Facebook in Spanish. "I regret to inform you of the passing of my son Prichard from his earthly world. He is now in a better place. I did everything possible to fulfill his wish, his dream of bringing him on vacation to Puerto Rico as he so deeply wanted, but it could not be done."

Colon was 23 when he sustained his life-altering injuries. He was considered a bright prospect at the time, having amassed a professional record of 16-0 with 13 knockouts. He lost the fight against Williams by disqualification because his cornermen removed his gloves after the 10th round, believing the bout was over.

In a statement posted to X on Thursday, World Boxing Organization president Gustavo Olivieri lauded Colon for his "courage, perseverance, and an extraordinary fighting spirit" in the wake of his injuries.

Both the World Boxing Council and the World Boxing Association called Colon "a true warrior" in respective statements on X following his death.