Prichard Colon, the Puerto Rican welterweight who has been in a comatose state since suffering injuries in a bout in Virginia, recently underwent another surgery with yet another one forthcoming.
Colon suffered a traumatic brain injury during a nationally-televised bout he lost against Terrell Williams of Los Angeles, CA at the EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, VA on October 17. According to ESPN.com, Colon underwent surgery last week and is scheduled to have another one this week. No word was given as to the specifics of the surgeries, one of many Colon has had since the injury.
"In the middle of [last] week, Pri underwent surgery," the family said in a statement. "[He will] go back to surgery next week. We ask that you take one minute to ask the creator for the health of our champion. Let us continue to pray to God for a miracle."
Colon (16-1, 13 KO's) lost by ninth-round disqualification to Williams during a foul-plagued contest. Colon collapsed in his dressing room and was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery to relieve pressure inside his skull.
Colon was moved to Shepherd Center, a hospital in Atlanta, GA that specializes in treatment for those with brain and spinal cord injuries. Colon had spinal surgery in February so a catheter could be implanted in order to administer a drug to help loosen his muscles.
During the bout, Colon took illegal punches behind the head, including one that knocked Colon down in the ninth round. Referee Joe Cooper did not penalize Williams for the rabbit punch. Cooper did penalize Williams in the seventh round for rabbit punching but allowed a lot of illegal punches during the contest.
Colon was disqualified when his corner took his gloves off after the ninth round, thinking it was the 10th and final round. The corner could not get Colon's gloves back on during the one-minute rest period between rounds. Colon 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.
The Virginia Department of Professional & Occupational Regulations recently announced that they had concluded their investigation of the bout and found "no regulatory violations."
The report said in part, "no regulatory violations appear to warrant disciplinary action against any Virginia licensees, including Williams. Cooper, the contract referee, generally maintained control of the contest -- despite noted disagreement over some foul calls and consistency of point deductions -- consulted with the ringside physician; and complied with regulatory requirements to attend to Colon's health. ... No one action (or failure to act) can be identified that is so apparent or egregious to justify holding accountable any one person."
The report concluded, "Although there is no evidence of foreseeable wrongdoing on the part of any particular individual, looking back at the 'what ifs' is indeed heartbreaking. DPOR remains committed to fighter safety, doing what we can to protect fighters despite the inherent risks of combative sports like boxing, and praying for Prichard Colon."
The DPOR also said in a statement, "Our hearts go out to Prichard Colon and his family, friends, and fans. All of us at DPOR, along with the boxing community, continue to hold out hope for his recovery. We fully appreciate that no report can ever truly make sense of the tragedy that occurred in Fairfax, Virginia, on Oct. 17, 2015."
No comments:
Post a Comment