Prichard Colon death at 33: Terrel Williams’ ‘rabbit punches’ revisited as doctor explains Colon’s irreversible brain damagePuerto Rican boxer Prichard Colon died at 33 on August 13, nearly 11 years after the 2015 fight that left him with a severe brain injury. Colon suffered repeated punches to the back of his head during his bout with Terrel Williams in Virginia. He later underwent emergency surgery for bleeding in his brain and spent 221 days in a coma. After waking, he remained severely disabled and needed constant care from his family. His death has renewed attention on the injury and why his condition never returned to normal despite years of care.What happened to Prichard Colon after the Terrel Williams fight?The injury happened during the October 17, 2015, fight at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia. Colon complained to referee Joe Cooper about punches to the back of his head, which are illegal in boxing. The World Boxing Council later described these blows, known as rabbit punches, as dangerous because they can damage the area where the spine connects with the brainstem.The fight continued into the ninth round, when Terrel Williams knocked Colon down twice. Colon’s corner then removed his gloves, apparently believing the fight was over. Because he could not answer the bell for the next round, the bout was stopped and Williams was declared the winner by disqualification.After leaving the ring, Colon became dizzy and later vomited and collapsed in the dressing room. He was taken to hospital and underwent emergency surgery for bleeding in his brain.The World Boxing Council said Colon suffered a subdural hematoma and irreversible brain damage from the rabbit punches. He eventually came out of the 221-day coma but was left with severe, permanent problems and could not return to his previous life.Why did Prichard Colon never recover from his brain injury?Dr. Jason R Williams, a California-based oncologist, explained the possible effect of the injury in a post on X. He wrote: “Those punches landed where the spine meets the brainstem, and the skull barely covers that spot,” Williams wrote on X. “The bleed that started there had nowhere to go. Trapped blood builds pressure. Pressure kills brain tissue.“Brain tissue does not come back. Surgeons saved his life that night, but no treatment in medicine could return what the bleed took. He spent 221 days in a coma and the next decade unable to walk or speak, while his parents cared for him around the clock.“Prichard did what a fighter is supposed to do,” he continued. “He reported the fouls to the one person who could stop them. It didn’t save him. That part has never left me.“Boxing learned from him. In 2016 the WBC put a zero-tolerance rule on those punches and named it after him. Fighters are safer today because of what he lost. Once brain damage runs this deep, we cannot treat our way out of it. Prevention is the only cure.”The WBC later formalised the Prichard Colon Rule, calling for stricter action against rabbit punches.A cause of death for Colon has not been publicly announced. His father, Richard Colon, announced his death on August 13 and said he was in a “happy place now.”