Puerto Rican welterweight Prichard Colon, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a fight Oct. 17, remains in a coma but was moved on Thursday to a rehabilitation facility.
Colon (16-1, 13 KOs), 23, suffered the injury during a ninth-round disqualification loss to Terrel Williams in an NBC-televised Premier Boxing Champions card from the EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia.
Colon collapsed in the dressing room shortly after the fight and was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery to relieve pressure inside his skull.
Although Colon is breathing on his own, he has been in a coma since. On Thursday he was moved to Shepherd Center, a hospital in Atlanta that specializes in treatment for those with brain and spinal cord injuries.
"Today is a big day for my brother Prichard Colon," Ricardo Colon wrote on social media. "Headed to the best rehab center for traumatic brain injuries, Shepherd Center."
During the fight, Colon, who was a bright prospect, took some brutal, illegal punches behind the head, including a harsh knockdown on a shot behind the head late in the ninth round. The punch was not called a foul by referee Joe Cooper.
Cooper did deduct one point from Williams for rabbit punching in the seventh round but, despite Colon's complaints, also allowed Williams to hit Colon behind the head at other points during the fight without issuing any warnings or taking additional points.
Colon got to his feet after the knockdown, the second one of the ninth round, and returned to his corner, where his trainers began to cut off his gloves, apparently believing the scheduled 10-round bout had come to an end. When they could not get Colon's gloves back on in time Cooper disqualified Colon.
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.
Lou DiBella, who promoted the card on behalf of PBC, said Colon has a long road ahead of him but that going to a rehabilitation facility specializing in brain injuries was best for him.
"It's one of the best facilities in the world for people in Prichard's situation," DiBella told ESPN.com. "He's going to the best place he can be. It has innovative treatments and is a state-of-the-art facility. But he remains in a coma. The family has been waiting for the approval for the move and for Prichard to be physically strong enough to make a safe trip.
"That's where they want him to be, and I'm happy they are able to bring him there. The best help anyone can give is to keep Prichard in their thoughts and for people who pray to continue to pray for him, and let's hope for the best for this fine young man and his family."
Also writing on social media, Ricardo Colon credited Al Haymon, Prichard's adviser and the creator of PBC, for making the move to the costly rehabilitation facility possible.