Prichard Colon came into Saturday's fight against Terrel Williams at 16-0 with 13 knockouts, with 14 of those fights occurring in the last two years, and riding a wave of big-time prospect goodwill. Through four rounds, he was cruising, showing what all the buzz was about.
Terrel Williams stunned Prichard Colon with two knockdowns in the ninth, and won when Colon was unable to answer the bell for the 10th. (Suzanne Teresa/Premier Boxing Champions)
Terrel Williams, although similarly unbeaten at 14-0 with 12 KOs, was fighting for just the third time after a nearly two-year layoff. At 31, he couldn’t be considered a prospect anymore. But after falling behind through four rounds, he then made up for lost time.
In a fight with many twists and turns, Williams emerged victorious at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia, when Colon was disqualified following the ninth round.
Williams gained two late knockdowns of Colon in Round 9, after which Colon's corner began to remove the fighter's gloves. Realizing the mistake, Colon's team hurredly tried to get the gloves back on for the final round, but to no avail. A representative from the Virginia boxing commission instructed referee Joe Cooper to DQ Colon for failing to answer the bell.
Early on, Colon was slick, sharp and easily in control of the distance, picking Williams off with jabs from outside and countering every time he tried to get inside.
But then, in the fifth round, Williams started putting the pressure on and muscling his way in. Colon responded with a low blow that dropped Williams like a cannonball. Cooper ruled the shot intentional and took two points from Colon as Williams writhed on the ground in obvious agony.
Williams was incensed, and he battered Colon over the next two rounds.
In the seventh, Williams had Colon reeling, and he caught the Puerto Rican prospect with a shot to the back of the head as Colon turned away. Colon dropped and clutched his head. For the second time in the fight, Cooper awarded a fighter five minutes to recover from a foul, and Colon took it. Meanwhile, Cooper took a point away from Williams, who argued the penalty.
The break seemed to refresh Colon, who finished the round strong and came back even stronger in the eighth.
In the ninth, Williams got Colon on the ropes and unloaded. Colon dropped and Cooper started counting. Colon got to his feet, but Williams planted and landed a left uppercut to the body that sent Colon sprawling forward. Williams then caught Colon with a right to the back of the head as the 23-year-old Puerto Rican fell to the canvas.
This time, the damage was clear. Colon was blooded and dazed, but he got back on his feet and returned to his corner for Round 10. Once the mix-up with his gloves occurred, however, the fight was over.
"I performed well, and I would have liked to have gotten the TKO, but I got the win, which is the most important thing,” Williams said. “It was a rough-and-tough fight, but I did what I needed to do to win."
Following the fight, Colon was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital after complaining of dizziness and fainting and vomiting in his dressing room.
For the complete recap of Colon vs Williams, make sure to check out our fight page.
