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Spike TV will go ahead with boxing card if Adrien Broner is not available

Fighters Network
25
Mar

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If Adrien Broner isn’t available for his WBA junior welterweight title fight on April 1 because of legal issues, Spike TV will go ahead with the scheduled boxing broadcast, with another fight elevated to the main event, a network spokesman told RingTV.com on Friday.

“The plan is still to televise PBC on Spike next Friday night,” said Spike TV spokesman David Schwarz, referring to Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions television series. “There will be live boxing.”

The question is whether Broner will be part of it and if he will be facing Ashley Theophane on the season premiere of PBC on Spike. A warrant is out for Broner’s arrest on charges of felonious assault and aggravated robbery over an incident that allegedly took place on Jan. 21 in the parking lot of a Cincinnati bowling alley, according to the Cincinnati police.



After losing bets in a bowling game to another man, Broner allegedly beat the man up and stole his money back, the police said. Broner was in Washington, D.C. on Thursday training for his fight at the DC Armory. Those close to Broner insist the fight is still on and the legal issues will be resolved.

Broner has to turn himself in and eventually travel back to Cincinnati and go before a judge for arraignment. He would then have to work out a deal with the judge to be allowed to fight, a police source said. As of Friday afternoon, Broner still hadn’t turned himself in to the police, a source said.

PBC organizers are acting as if Broner will be able to participate on April 1. A fight-week schedule for the bout was distributed on Friday. Broner is listed to work out for the media on Tuesday at 2:50 p.m. at the Headbangers Boxing Club in SE Washington, where Broner has trained for the fight. The press conference is scheduled for Wednesday and the weigh-in Thursday. Moreover, Spike is premiering a promo show for the fight called “About Billions” (11 p.m. ET), which follows both fighters through their preparations for the fight.

The televised co-main event features rising prospect Robert Easter (16-0, 13 knockouts) against former junior lightweight titleholder Algenis Mendez (23-3-1, 12 KOs) in a bout that could be elevated to the main event if Broner isn’t around to participate.

 

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