Nearly 11 years on, Prichard Colón’s rabbit-punch account revisited

Prichard Colón told ringside physician Richard Ashby that he felt dizzy and was hurting at the back of his head after an intentional rabbit punch in the seventh round of his final fight against Terrel Williams on October 17, 2015. Referee Joe Cooper ruled the punch illegal and removed one point from Williams.

Colón fell after the blow before reaching his corner. Ashby examined him, including his pupils, while Cooper moved between the fighters. Colón was given more time to recover and remained hunched over while holding the back of his head.

The ringside doctor eventually allowed the contest to continue after Colón had recovered sufficiently. Colón nodded to Cooper to show he was ready. Virginia’s investigation later found that he was coherent, responsive and able to stand unaided at that point. It also found no impaired vision, serious cuts, obvious broken bones or other clear physical injury.

The investigation recorded previous warnings to Williams over punches aimed at Colón’s head and neck. It also found that both boxers may have committed fouls that went unpunished. Investigators said there was an argument for taking at least two further points from Williams, but concluded that neither Cooper nor Ashby had breached the regulations governing their roles.

Colón did not ask for or receive additional medical treatment during the remaining rounds. Williams knocked him down twice in the ninth, while confusion in Colón’s corner caused him not to answer the bell for the tenth round and resulted in his disqualification.

Colón’s condition worsened sharply in the dressing room. He was described as barely responsive and repeatedly losing consciousness during the post-fight examination, leading to an immediate hospital transfer for a CT scan. Doctors found a brain bleed that changed his life, and he died almost 11 years later.

The investigation did not establish that one particular punch caused the catastrophic injury. It noted that serious boxing injuries can result from repeated blows in fights, training or sparring, making a single cause difficult to identify. What is established is that Colón reported dizziness and pain after the illegal punch, was cleared to continue and boxed for another two rounds.