Prichard Colón honoured with ten-count salute in Las Vegas boxing

Las Vegas held a ten-count salute for Prichard Colón at T-Mobile Arena, nine days after the former unbeaten Puerto Rican boxer died at the age of 33. Ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. led the tribute before Yoenli Hernandez met Francisco Veron on the Rolly Romero-Teofimo Lopez bill.

The ceremony marked one of the final public tributes to Colón, who died on August 13 and was buried last week. It was staged by Premier Boxing Champions, the promotional company that had backed his career and remained involved with his family after the injury that ended his time in the ring.

Las Vegas had particular significance in Colón’s boxing story. On September 11, 2014, the 22-year-old fought Christopher Degollado at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Colón controlled the eight-round contest, with each judge awarding him a 80-71 victory.

That win was his last appearance in a Las Vegas ring. He continued his progress after leaving the city and reached a 16-0 record before facing Terrel Williams in October 2015. The bout resulted in a catastrophic brain injury and brought his professional career to an end.

Colón spent 221 days in a coma before beginning a long fight for life with the support of his family. Their effort continued for almost 11 years, until his death. Al Haymon also played a major role in supporting Colón and his relatives in the aftermath of the tragedy.

The tribute brought Colón’s story back to the arena where he had once claimed another victory as one of Puerto Rico’s promising unbeaten prospects. This time, the Las Vegas crowd observed a ten-count in his memory.