Who is Prichard Colon, the fighter who Deontay Wilder discussed after his win?
Prichard Colon is a former boxer whose career was cut short due to a brain injury suffered in the ring. Last Saturday, Deontay Wilder returned to action against top contender Robert Helenius. On his return, 'The Bronze Bomber' scored a vintage first-round knockout.
In his post-fight press conference, the former champion was emotional. While he's previously spoken of wanting to damage a man in the boxing ring, Wilder has seemingly changed in his time away from the ring.
In the post-fight presser, Deontay Wilder stated that there are massive risks involved every time a boxer steps into the ring. The former champion pointed to Prichard Colon as one of the athletes that met the full force of the risks of boxing.
Deontay Wilder gets emotional and cries at the post-fight presser after his KO of Robert Helenius as he discusses the dangers of boxing and Prichard Colon, who suffered a life-altering brain injury…
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In October 2015, the undefeated prospect met Terrel Williams in a high-profile contest. In the bout, Colon was repeatedly hit in the back of the head. Upon informing the referee of the fouls, he was told to "take care of it" by the referee who failed to penalize Williams or halt the contest.
After the ninth round, Colon's corner stopped the contest after their fighter suffered a knockdown. Following the loss, the boxer fell into a coma for 221 days as a result of internal bleeding in the brain.
How is Prichard Colon today?
Thankfully, Prichard Colon was able to emerge from his coma and is in good spirits today.
Following the loss to Terrel Williams, the prospect fell into a lengthy coma, where it seemed uncertain if he would ever begin to recover. After 221 days, Colon finally emerged from the coma, but that was just the first step on a long road to recovery.
Beyond the honorary WBC Championship being given to him, Colon's mostly stayed out of the spotlight. However, his mother has provided updates on his status through social media, namely, her YouTube channel. While it's clear that he's not the same as he was prior to his devastating brain injury and coma, he appears to be in high spirits.
The 30-year-old is currently able to communicate and is going through physical therapy. In the five years since the incident, Colon has seemingly made a lot of progress.
The best thing I’ve seen all week. Prichard Colon is getting stronger by the day. Let’s go, champ! Keep fighting, champ! https://t.co/gGXUZsDMM3