Overview
- Colón's father, Richard Colón, confirmed his son's death on Thursday, August 13, 2026, in a post on social media.
- The injury followed a fight on October 17, 2015, in Fairfax, Virginia, when Terrel Williams repeatedly landed blows to the back of Colón's head that were later penalized and led to a subdural hematoma and emergency surgery.
- Colón spent months in a coma—reports cite about 221 days—and thereafter lived with severe neurological damage that left him dependent on full-time care for more than a decade.
- In 2017 his parents filed a civil suit seeking over $50 million against the ringside physician and promoters, while Williams and the referee were not named in that lawsuit; the World Boxing Council later tightened rules on blows to the back of the head and named Colón an honorary champion.
- No official medical cause of death has been released publicly, and his passing is likely to renew scrutiny of the 2015 bout, the unresolved civil case, and enforcement of safety rules in boxing.