Who is Prichard Colon and what happened to him?
FORMER boxer Prichard "Digget" Colon Melendez is continuing to make progress in his recovery following his tragic accident in 2015.
The former super welterweight champion was on the road to success after winning his opening 16 professional fights but things then took a heartbreaking turn for the Puerto Rican.
Who is Prichard Colon?
Prichard Colon Melendez is a Puerto Rican former professional boxer who won 16 of his 17 fights.
Born on September 19, 1992, in Maitland, Florida, Colon moved to Puerto Rico at the age of 10 to represent the island in competitions.
He studied business administration at the Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in San Juan before turning professional in 2012.
The 31-year-old became an honorary WBC World Champion and bagged a gold medal in the 64kg category at the 2010 Pan American Youth Championship.
The rising star earned the nickname "Digget", which comes from the word "digger", due to his 6ft height.
The fight that put him on the map came in 2015 when he went up against more experienced fighter, Vivian Harris - knocking him out in the fourth round.
What happened to Prichard Colon?
Just months after his victory against Harris, Colon boxed Terrel Williams and suffered a life-changing bleed to the brain.
The fight had not been scheduled but went ahead due to another boxer, Andre Dirrell, cancelling his fight with Blake Caparello.
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In the ninth round, Colon was hit repeatedly in the back of the head by Williams, which is illegal in the high-risk sport, yet was told to "take care of it" by the referee.
Shortly afterwards, Colon collapsed to the shock of his fans, after leading in the first five rounds.
He complained about feeling dizzy and nauseous but continued to throw punches after the ringside doctor deemed him fit to go on.
The young athlete vomited and collapsed in the dressing room afterwards before being rushed to hospital and placed in a coma for 221 days.
What was Prichard Colon's diagnosis?
The boxer was diagnosed with a bleed on the brain, more specifically a left-sided subdural hematoma, measuring 1.5cm wide.
He underwent a complex emergency hemicraniectomy to reduce brain swelling and clear the hematoma.
In 2021, the World Boxing Council released a statement about Colon's surgery.
The WBC told : "In recent weeks it was found a collapse of his skull was pressing on the brain, for which a fragment had to be removed to be replaced by a plate.
"Fortunately, the operation went well."
After waking up from his seven-month long coma, Colon was moved from the hospital to his mother's home in Orlando, Florida.
Who are Prichard Colon's parents?
Colon was born to mother Nieves, a retired waitress, and Richard, a retired serviceman.
Nieves regularly provides updates on on the boxer's progress and recently showed him attending a truck rally and taking a positive step in being able to brush his own teeth.
On September 20, 2023, she posted a video celebrating the former boxer's 31st birthday.
Colon is seen smiling in response to his cake, and he was also gifted a signed boxing glove from rapper Daddy Yankee.
In February 2023, the devoted mother posted a video titled "Prichard Colon-Melendez 5K run for the woods" which showed Colon on a trail in a specially adapted mobility chair and standing with support.
In 2017 the devastated parents filed a lawsuit seeking damages from the ringside doctor and the promoters of the fight for more than $50million, but it remains unsettled to this day.
Where is Prichard Colon now?
Colon's recovery is being handled by specialists at in Orange Park, Florida, reports .
It is unclear how much the former sportsman will recover but so far he is showing good progress.
In July 2018, Colón's mother posted a video of him taking physical therapy and responding to verbal commands.
She also stated that he was learning how to communicate through a computer.
In June 2021 Nieves posted to Facebook updates of her son's progress and thanked people for their prayers and support.
As of 2023, however, his speech is yet to return.
What did Deontay Wilder say about Prichard Colon?
Deontay Wilder discussed the dangers of boxing in a press conference in October 2022 after his fight with Robert Helenius.
The boxer had just won the fight in New York with a first-round KO but broke down and cried when discussing Colon.
As reported by talkSPORT, he said: "Look at Colon, Prichard Colon. This man didn’t have no kids. Y’all don’t f****** understand what we go through man.
"And I don’t even know him like that, but I’ll always be an advocate for us.
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"This man will never know what it feels like to be somebody’s father and that’s the most precious thing in the world to be somebody’s father. But he’ll never be nobody’s father man.
"This man will never have a natural living again because he got in the ring to support his family and now his family have gotta take care of him for the rest of his life."
