'16 wins in 16 fights' promising boxer meets tragedy... Suffered brain injury during match, battled illness for over a decade, passed away at age 33

*This content was translated by AI.

Prichard Colon, who was hailed as a promising boxer poised to lead the boxing world with an undefeated record of 16 wins in 16 professional fights, has passed away after a long illness. He was 33 years old.

ESPN reported on the 14th (Korean time) that "retired professional boxer Colon died at the age of 33. His father, Richard Colon, announced the news directly via social media."

Colon, originally from Puerto Rico, endured a difficult battle with illness for over a decade after suffering a tragic accident during a match.

The outlet explained that "Colon suffered severe traumatic brain injury while competing against Terrel Williams in a welterweight bout held in Fairfax, Virginia, USA, in October 2015."

It further stated that "at the time, Colon complained of being hit multiple times on the back of his head during the match and was actually knocked down once after taking a blow to the back of his head. Due to this injury, Colon fell into a persistent vegetative state and has been cared for by his family ever since."

Colon was only 23 years old at the time of the accident. At that moment, he held an undefeated record of 16 wins in 16 professional fights, including 13 knockouts, and was regarded as a top-tier prospect in the boxing world.

The Williams fight against Colon was officially recorded as a disqualification loss for Colon. ESPN explained that "after the 10th round ended, Colon's corner mistakenly believed the match had concluded and removed his gloves, resulting in the disqualification."

Father Richard Colon announced via Facebook: "Good morning. It pains me to inform you that my son Prichard has passed away. He is now in a better place."

He continued, "I wanted to take Prichard on the Puerto Rico trip he longed for. I did everything possible to fulfill his wishes and dreams, but ultimately could not."

For the father who cared for his son by his side for over a decade, there remains the sorrow of being unable to even grant his final wish.

The world boxing community also expressed condolences upon hearing the news of Colon's passing. The World Boxing Council (WBC) and the World Boxing Association (WBA) paid tribute to Colon, describing him as a "true warrior."

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*This content was translated by AI.