I also like the color version. The black BG of B&W version is taking away from the image to my eyes.
I also believe that the color version can be further improved with some editing aimed to enhance the subject. I would definitely get rid of the very distracting OOF board covering the subject. PS remove tool can easily do the trick. I guess that board could have worked if it was in focus giving a sense of hiding the shooter.
Another improvement can be done by reducing the (green) saturation and brightness of the BG. On my monitor the BG looks more saturated of the subject and feels a bit overpowering the subject.
Finally some sharpening of the subject can better anchor the viewer's eyes on the shooter.
Here is a visual representation of my suggestions.
