What happened to Breidis Prescott?

Breidis Prescott faced Amir Khan on 6 September 2008, at the M.E.N. Arena, Manchester for the WBO Inter-Continental lightweight title.

He knocked Khan out after 51 seconds of the first round, handing Khan the first loss of his professional career.

Since then Khan as gone on to win the WBA light-welterweight title against Andreas Kotelnik in Manchester in the summer. 

I have been getting asked allot “What happened to Breidis Prescott?” There’s no doubt no matter what Amir Khan achieves in the near future, he is going to continue to carry the ghost of Breidis Prescott with him. Khan as said he wants the fight, and there is no doubting Prescott does if by then the world title is at stake. 

So what did happen to Mr Prescott? Who was he? its like he committed a crime and was shipped away, never to be seen again, never to be talked about, his name is mealy whispered! Of course hardened boxing fans among us know what happened after his 1st round demolition of our boy!

Prescott won his next fight after Khan by disqualification, against Humberto Toledo who took it upon himself to bite Prescott in the 10th round.

Now rated No7 Lightweight in the world Prescott in his next fight (watch below)

 On 17th of July 2009 the night before Khan won the world title from Andreas Kotelnik, Prescott suffered his first defeat to Miguel Vazguez losing the fight by decision with the score cards reading 97-92 in Vazguez favour. Prescott won knocked over Vazquez in the first with his pole like jab, but after that Vazquez was in control.

Around the 5th round Vazquez started opening up with right hands and left hooks that lumped Prescott’s eye up.

Prescott made one last charge in the 10th round when he landed a haymaker overhand right that the tough Vazquez shook off.

ESPN2 Boxing announcer Teddy Atlas said it best when he stated that this is the “sweet science” and not the “strong science” as the smaller, less powerful Vazquez took Prescott to boxing school.

The final scores read 96-93, 95-94 for Vazaquez, and an absurd 97-92 in favor of Prescott.

An argument can be made that the only round Prescott actually won was the 1st. Vazquez out landed Prescott 160-98 and cashed in big as the +300 underdog to improve to 25-3, 12 KO’s.

After this damaging loss Prescott is now lined up to fight unbeaten Russian, Ruslan Provodnikov for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental light welterweight title in Samara, Russia on 28th Nov 2009.

This fight with the title tag attached, can be a stepping stone to get back on the trail of Khan.

Khan wants the fight, people would want to see it, it would sell! Does frank Warren want it? I’m not so sure Mr Warren makes the same mistakes twice, but if Prescott can get a few wins under his belt, it is a fight that can and should be made, Khan would surely not make the same mistake?

So who is Breidis Prescott?

As a child, the undefeated Colombian lightweight (19-0) was taken to a gym by his father and grandfather, who were both prize fighters. His brother, Daulis, has a 15-0 professional record.

Breidis Enrique Prescott Consuegra (born 3 May 1983 in Barranquilla, Colombia) is a Colombian lightweight boxer.

He has a reputation as a devastating puncher, with 18 of his 21 wins by way of knockout, with all coming in the first three rounds. Prescott’s father and grandfather were both boxing trainers, and his brother, Daulis Prescott, has a 16-0 professional record. 

“My grandfather came to Colombia to work as a boxing trainer,” Prescott said. “He was from Panama. When the English went to Panama, there was some mixing of the blood and that’s how I got this English name.”

 Prescott trains in the sweltering port of Barranquilla on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, the heart of the country’s boxing tradition. Boxers with no place to stay in the town sleep above the gym. The facilities could hardly be more basic. Fighters build stamina and leg strength by jumping on an old truck tyre. There is no air-conditioning, and by 10am the temperature inside the gym is almost unbearable.

“The country’s best boxers train at this gym,” Prescott said. “Lots of champions have passed through here. There’s Caesar Canchilla, Ricardo Torres, Mambeco Pacheco, and many more.”

Juan Carlos Debia, Prescott’s manager, added: “In Bogota [the capital] they have much better training facilities but there are no decent fighters.” 

Prescott’s family live in the slums to the south of the city. Growing up, his neighbourhood was a battleground between leftist guerrillas and paramilitary gangs controlled by some of the country’s biggest drug traffickers. 

“Life there is a daily fight,” he said. “But, thank God, we grew up into decent people. Lots of schoolmates chose the wrong path. Three friends of mine were killed by the paramilitaries. Another joined the guerrillas, then deserted, and now they’re looking for him.” 


By Chris Maylett