Emotional Moment For A Boxer As He Watches The Fight That Paralyzed Him

Boxing is known for its rigorous rules, strictly enforced both within and outside the ring.

However, one particular incident in the sport dramatically changed a man’s life and highlighted a series of critical oversights.

The story of Prichard Colon is indeed a tragic one, serving as a grim reminder to referees and boxers about the potential consequences of neglecting these rules.

It began in 2015 when the Puerto Rican professional boxer Prichard Colon stepped into the ring to face all-American Terrel Williams on October 17th.

Prichard Colon Remezcla

The match started off as a typical boxing match, with both fighters exchanging punches and skillfully dodging each other’s blows.

Trouble began when Williams started to land a series of punches to the back of Colon’s head-a clear violation of boxing rules.

Shockingly, the referee overseeing the match failed to adequately intervene.

He deducted only one point from Williams in a round that saw Colon knocked to the ground from the illegal blows. 

Throughout the match, Williams repeatedly struck Colon at the nape, which tragically resulted in Colon’s lifelong paralysis.

Recently, a heart-wrenching video surfaced on X, previously known as Twitter, showing Colon watching the fight that left him unable to walk or speak. 

The comments on the video were deeply harrowing.

Prichard Colon recently watched the match that changed his life. Twitter / PicturesFoIder

One person remarked: "Guy kept going for the back of the neck. He knew what he was doing. Treacherous."

Another commented: "Imagine being so desperate to win that you would paralyze someone for fame and money, sad.."

Another comment criticized the referee’s actions, stating: "It's heartbreaking to watch the original fight and see how that referee was negligent and unethical and is still working. That was his only job as a referee."

Adding to the controversy, in the ninth round of the match, Colon was disqualified. 

His corner, mistakenly thinking the round had concluded, removed his gloves, which led to Williams winning the title by default.

By that time, Colon had already started to feel dizzy and began vomiting as he exited the ring.

He was immediately rushed to Inova Fairfax Hospital, where he was put into a coma for 200 days.

Terrel Williams threw a flurry of illegal punches. Twitter / PicturesFoIder

He suffered internal bleeding in his brain. When he finally awoke, all he could do was breathe independently and blink, leaving him without the ability to communicate or move.

In the years that followed, Colon has shown some signs of improvement. 

Almost a decade after initially entering a vegetative state, his family frequently shares updates on social media about the 29-year-old’s progress.

He can now operate an electric wheelchair, stand on his own for short periods, and communicate using his eyes.

He has even regained some ability to move his hands, though he still requires assistance.

Terrel Williams Getty Images

Meanwhile, Williams has publicly expressed his regret about the incident. 

In 2018, he stated: "I pray for Prichard every day. That’s never going to change. I wish him nothing but peace and health.

"No one wants what happened to Prichard to happen to anybody. All boxers are brothers. I would never intentionally harm someone like that."