Adrien Broner faces felony charges week before title fight
— -- Junior welterweight world titleholder Adrien Broner, who is scheduled to defend his belt for the first time April 1, faces felony assault and aggravated robbery charges in his hometown of Cincinnati.
NBC News, citing police, reported Thursday that there are two active warrants for Broner's arrest related to the same incident.
TMZ Sports reported details of an incident in which Broner, 26, allegedly assaulted and robbed a man using a gun outside a Cincinnati bowling alley in the early-morning hours of Jan. 21 following high-stakes betting on bowling games.
Citing court documents, TMZ Sports reported that Broner knocked the man unconscious and took money from his pocket before leaving the scene.
The revelation came eight days before Broner is due to defend his 140-pound belt against Floyd Mayweather-promoted opponent Ashley Theophane in the main event of a Premier Boxing Champions card on Spike at the DC Armory in Washington, D.C., where Broner is training.
Asked about the alleged incident, Broner told ESPN.com "I'm good," but declined to elaborate.
A PBC spokesman said: "It's a legal situation that Broner is going to have to work out with his attorney."
Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions, which is promoting the card, said he was not aware of the details of the situation but added that if there was an issue, Broner would need to deal with an attorney.
It is unclear whether the fight will go on as scheduled. A spokesman for Spike said the network was looking into the matter.
Broner (31-2, 23 KOs) claimed a vacant title by 12th-round knockout of Khabib Allakhverdiev on Oct. 3 in Cincinnati in a fight Broner dominated. He claimed a title in his fourth weight division.
Theophane (39-6-1, 11 KOs), 35, of England, will be fighting for a world title for the first time if the fight takes place.
The alleged incident is also the focus of a lawsuit reportedly filed two months ago.
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, the suit filed in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court says Broner and the alleged victim, Christopher Carson, had been wagering as much as $6,000 per bowling match.
Carson had won $8,000 from Broner before the fighter ran out of cash, the lawsuit states, according to the Enquirer report. Broner then wagered another $6,000 on credit, the lawsuit alleges.
Broner "became upset and left the bowling alley" when, after Carson had won a total of $14,000 and Broner sought a $6,000 bet for a final game, Carson declined.
The lawsuit states that Broner was waiting outside the bowling alley with a group of eight men when Carson left at about 3 a.m.
Carson was punched twice by Broner, who had a gun in hand, the suit says. The punches split his chin open and knocked him out. While Carson was unconscious, $12,000 in cash was taken from him, the suit says.
"Adrien seems to have a penchant for walking around town and slugging people," said Carson's attorney, Chris Finney, according to the Enquirer. "We want it to stop."
