The mother of Prichard Colón has offered an update on the former boxer’s condition. The Puerto Rican, who was in a coma for over half a year after suffering from brain bleeding following a boxing fight, celebrated his birthday on September 19. 

In the video shared by his mother, Colón can be seen smiling as he’s presented with a cupcake on his 31st birthday. His mother then makes a point to sing “Happy Birthday” to him in Spanish, while joking around about his age as he watches her in rapt attention. 

It is one of numerous videos of the former boxer uploaded to the TikTok account run by his family on his road to recovery. Other videos show him going to physical therapy, dancing with his mom, or just complimenting his fit. All of them are steadfast proof of his resilience and that of his family.

Colón was considered a promising prospect when he entered the ring for a 2015 fight against Terrel Williams. The bout, however, would change everything. Colón would receive multiple blows to the neck – which are illegal in boxing. He complained several times about his opponent, but the fight was still allowed to go on, with the doctor even clearing him to continue on despite feeling dizzy.

Later, Colón was disqualified after his corner mistakenly removed his gloves while they were tending to him. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as Colón started vomiting and had to be taken to the hospital right after, where he was diagnosed with a brain bleed. He spent 221 days in a coma – but there’s no telling what would have happened if he’d continued fighting.

In 2016, the WBC introduced the “Prichard Colón rule,” to discourage and punish blows to the back of the neck, called “rabbit punches.”