Prichard Colón’s father reveals the Puerto Rico dream he couldn’t fulfill before his son’s death

Richard Colón spent more than a decade helping his son through life after the catastrophic brain injury that ended his boxing career. In announcing Prichard’s death at 33, he also revealed one deeply personal wish he had tried unsuccessfully to make happen: bringing his son back to Puerto Rico for a vacation.

Prichard Colón’s father announced his son’s death Thursday with a message of gratitude to the thousands of people who had followed the former boxer’s difficult journey for more than a decade. But buried within Richard Colón’s farewell was another heartbreaking detail: Prichard had wanted to return to Puerto Rico, and his father had been trying to make that trip possible.

According to Telemundo Puerto Rico, which linked directly to Richard’s announcement and separately confirmed Prichard’s death with his mother, Nieves Colón, Richard said he had done everything possible to fulfill his son’s dream of returning to the island for a vacation. “Hice todo lo posible por cumplirle su deseo, su sueño de traerlo de vacaciones a Puerto Rico como tanto él deseaba, pero no se pudo,” Richard wrote. The trip ultimately never happened.

Puerto Rico was much more than a vacation destination for Prichard Colón

The significance of that wish runs deeper than simply wanting to travel. Colón was born in Florida but moved to Puerto Rico as a teenager to pursue boxing, eventually winning five amateur national championships on the island. He represented Puerto Rico internationally, won gold at the 2010 Pan-American Youth Championships and built much of the identity that followed him into his professional career there. ESPN documented that Colón left Florida at 14 specifically to pursue boxing in his parents’ native Puerto Rico.

His professional career appeared headed toward something much bigger. Colón entered his October 17, 2015 fight against Terrel Williams undefeated at 16-0 with 13 knockouts. During the bout, however, he absorbed repeated blows around the back of his head and later collapsed. Doctors discovered a subdural hematoma, and emergency brain surgery was required. He subsequently spent 221 days in a coma and never returned to boxing.

His family spent more than a decade beside him

What followed became a different kind of fight for the Colón family. His mother, Nieves, became his primary caregiver, while Richard remained deeply involved in his rehabilitation. ESPN reported years ago that his father would take him outside in his wheelchair and read to him as the family continued hoping for neurological improvement.

That history gives Richard’s reference to Puerto Rico particular weight. This was the island where Prichard developed from a teenager with a boxing dream into an elite amateur representing Puerto Rico. More than a decade after the ring injury took away his career and independence, returning there for a vacation was still something he wanted to experience, according to his father. Richard said he tried to make it happen, but ultimately could not.

Richard Colón revealed the dream while saying goodbye

Richard announced Thursday that his son had died at 33, saying he believed Prichard was now “in a better world.” He thanked supporters for their prayers and asked them to continue praying for the family. Prichard’s mother separately confirmed his death to Telemundo Puerto Rico. As of Thursday afternoon, the family had not publicly disclosed the specific cause or circumstances of his death.

For a fighter whose ambitions once centered on world championships, the wish his father disclosed was strikingly simple. Prichard Colón wanted to go back to Puerto Rico. After everything his family had fought through since 2015, it became one dream Richard Colón desperately wanted to give his son, but never got the chance to fulfill.