Prichard Colon, the Puerto Rican welterweight who remains in a coma more than seven months after suffering a traumatic brain injury during a loss, has been moved from an Atlanta rehabilitation center to the home of his mother, Nieve Melendez, in Orlando, Florida.
"I want to tell you that Prichard remains in a coma, but is stable," Richard Colon, the boxer's father, said in a statement. "Yes, Pri is already at his home in Orlando, where we hope he can recover with the love of the whole family. Let's keep praying with faith! Prichard needs us more than ever. We know God won't leave us by ourselves!"
Prichard Colon (16-1, 13 KOs), 23, was a bright prospect before he suffered a brain injury during a ninth-round disqualification loss to Los Angeles' Terrel Williams in an NBC-televised Premier Boxing Champions card from the EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia, on Oct. 17.
Colon collapsed in the dressing room shortly after the foul-filled fight and was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery to relieve pressure inside his skull. It was the first of multiple surgeries Colon has had since the fight.
In mid-November, Colon was moved to Shepherd Center, an Atlanta hospital specializing in treatment for those with brain and spinal cord injuries.
During the fight, Colon took some brutal, illegal punches behind the head, including one that caused a hard knockdown late in the ninth round. Colon got to his feet after the knockdown, the second one of the ninth round, and returned to his corner, where his trainers began to cut off his gloves, believing the scheduled 10-round bout had come to an end. When they could not get Colon's gloves back on in time, referee Joe Cooper, who has been heavily criticized for allowing many punches behind the head to go unchecked, disqualified Colon.
He walked to the dressing room under his own power but soon after became dizzy, vomited and passed out, at which point he was rushed to the hospital.