Promoter, Opponent Pray for Boxer Prichard Colon’s Recovery

Prichard Colon is showing some positive signs that are creating optimism for his family. But the 23-year-old junior middleweight from Maitland, Fla., is still in a coma after being stopped in the ninth round in his fight against Terrel Williams on Saturday from the EagleBank Arena, in Fairfax, Va.

Williams (15-0, 12 KOs) knocked Colon down twice in the ninth, and Colon (16-1, 13 KOs) was disqualified after the round because his corner men cut off his gloves. The Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation announced that it was launching an investigation into “the situation, the incident and the cause.”

In the meantime, everyone associated with the fight waits with baited breath as to what will happen next.

“My prayers and thoughts are with Prichard and his family, but he is a bright, great kid and he’s the whole package who’s from a great family,” said a crestfallen Lou DiBella, the promoter of Saturday’s show. “I speak to the family every day. It hurts, because we’re talking about a very talented athlete who has everything going for him. It’s tough to watch his family go through this. All we can do is pray and hope for the best.”

DiBella said he was attracted to Colon by his size and ability to move in the ring. Colon had a good sense of movement and he appeared to have a promising future ahead of him.

But his plight hasn’t just affected DiBella, it’s left a bittersweet taste with Williams. The 31-year-old from Los Angeles, California, thought he achieved a breakthrough victory when he beat Colon. This last week hasn’t been an easy time for him.

“This hasn’t been easy, my heart dropped, everything dropped when I heard about Prichard,” Williams said. “I pray for him multiple times every day. I cannot enjoy this victory. I’m truly worried about Prichard. It’s like one of those things that you can’t get out of your head. I felt like I fighting a mirror of me. He was sharp, fast. I didn’t see any flaws I knew it would be a difficult fight, but how can I celebrate? I’m praying for Prichard and his family. Right now, nothing else matters to me. I only care about Prichard waking up from the coma.”

There is a strong likelihood Colon will never fight again, if he comes out of the coma. His injuries were so bad that he required brain surgery to relieve swelling. He’s been in a coma since Tuesday.

“It wasn’t that Colon was taking a beating, and he looked talented and used good movement,” said Steve Cunningham, who was ringside on the world broadcasting feed. “When Williams hit Colon in the back of the head in the seventh round, you can tell Colon was bothered. I’ve been hit in the back of the head and you feel like you get hit with a hammer, depending on who hits you, and who the person is getting hit. I’ve seen where guys continue, and I’ve seen guys roll all over the deck after getting hit in the back of the head. This came as a surprise to me. Guys are just fighting, and we try to adhere to the rules. Williams wanted to make it happen. At first, I didn’t think Colon was that hurt. Then I noticed his legs wobble after the seventh when he came back to his corner. It went downhill after that. Now every day, I drop a little prayer for him. I have boys that I train and I never want that to happen to them. I just want him to get out of the coma and have his family’s prayers answered. That kid has a great heart.”