Professional boxer Prichard Colón dies at 33, years after career-ending fight injury
Prichard Colon weighs in on July 31, 2015 at Barclay Center in Brooklyn. (Photo by Bill Tompkins/Getty Images)
Former professional boxer Prichard Colón has died after a long health battle years after suffering an injury from a professional fight, according to Remezcla.
What they're saying:
The World Boxing Organization posted about his passing, "His greatest fight became a testament to resilience and the unwavering love of his family."
Colón amassed a 16-1 record as a super welterweight in 17 professional fights, with his only loss coming in his last professional fight.
The backstory:
In 2015, Colón suffered a brain bleed following his fight against Terrel Williams. The injury led him to spend 221 days in a coma after repeated blows to the neck, an action now prohibited in the sport.
The boxer’s father posted to social media Thursday morning, saying, "I regret to inform you of the passing of my son Prichard from this earthly world," his father said in a Facebook post. "Thank you for so many years of love and prayers."
The ‘Prichard Colón Rule’ on rabbit punches
Big picture view:
In his 2015 fight against Terrel Williams, Puerto Rican boxer Prichard Colon received many hits to the back of his head to the "medulla oblongata" area at the base of the skull. The media has termed the action "rabbit punches", according to World Boxing News.
Dig deeper:
The World Boxing Council (WBC), an international professional boxing organization, says the region where the spine joins the brainstem is largely unprotected, and the damage sustained there can get to specific areas of the brain and lead to serious injuries or death.
The WBC officially adopted a zero-tolerance policy on rabbit punches, warning boxers and trainers against their use and urging referees to penalize fighters who deliver them.
The WBC says the rule involves:
The initial warning concerning rabbit punches being given in the locker room by the Referee with the instructions prior to the fight. We are recommending that Referees must be even more specific, especially explaining the horrendous injuries this foul can and does inflict, so as to leave no doubt in the minds of the fighter and team that this will NOT be tolerated.
The Referee may immediately stop the action and warn an offending boxer, who punches behind the head.
After the warning any continuous action or retaliation must immediately addressed by the Referee with a firm warning and a point deduction.
Referees have the authority to warn, deduct points of disqualify the offending fighter.
The Source: This story was written with information provided by Remezcla, the World Boxing Organization and the World Boxing Council. This story was reported from Orlando.