Prichard Colón, boxer who sustained brain damage in the ring, dies at 33

The boxing world was in mourning Friday following the death of Puerto Rican fighter Prichard Colón at the age of 33, 11 years after he sustained brain damage in the only defeat of his professional career.

The boxing world was in mourning Friday following the death of Puerto Rican fighter Prichard Colón at the age of 33, 11 years after he sustained brain damage in the only defeat of his professional career.

Colón’s death was confirmed in statements by the World Boxing Council and the World Boxing Organization late Thursday.

In October 2015, Colón suffered a brain bleed in a light-middleweight fight against Terrel Williams in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Fairfax, Virginia.

Colón underwent surgery to relieve pressure on his brain and the WBC said he sustained “irreversible neurological damage” because of what the governing body described as “severe, illegal blows to the back of the head.”

He never fought again and was later pictured in a wheelchair. The WBC named him an honorary world champion.