Broner seemingly unconcerned about Miami arrest

Adrien Broner was in his usual “showbiz” mode when contacted to comment on his arrest on Monday in Miami, Fla. The WBC lightweight titleholder, who was released on a $1,500 bond, joked that Paul Malignaggi, who he is supposed to fight on June 22, set him up.

Broner (26-0, 22 knockouts), who is coming off a fifth-round stoppage of Gavin Rees in February, was arrested at 10:13 a.m. and charged with battery before being released the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time, according to the arrest report the undefeated fighter posted on his Instagram account before deleting it.

In a brief interview with RingTV.com, Broner said, “I'm fine,” before jokingly blaming Malignaggi for his situation.

“I've got something to say about what happened today. I'm going to beat the s__t out of Pauletta. He's so scared to fight me that he sent some police to arrest me for nothing. That's what happened. That's what the f__k happened. Paulie's so scared to fight me that he sent somebody to arrest me and to put some fake charges on me,” said Broner.

“It's okay, because we got to fight anyway. The fight is going happen. Paulie had better go and get in some shape because I'm already ready and I'm already in shape, so he needs to go and get in some shape. We've been ready. Punk a__ed Paulie is so scared to fight me that he sent some police to M.I.A to arrest me and to put some fake charges on me. But it's alright. I'm out, and I'm counting some money as we speak.”

Malingaggi was amused by Broner's accusations.

“Are you serious? The fact that he thinks I had something to do with it, that's great, man. Why is he trying to make like I'm a snitch? If I send somebody to see him he's not going to get arrested, he's going to get his a__ kicked. I don't send those kinds of people to see you I send the other kind of people to see you," said Malignaggi.

“So the next time I get so scared, he'll know what kind of people I'll send. I'm not a snitch. That's his uncle Al [Haymon] sending people down to Miami. They don't want him to get his a__ kicked and they don't want him partying, so Uncle Al sent the police down there to make him go back to Cincinnati.”

Broner would not divulge details of his arrest. The nature of the battery charge and the exact location of the arrest remain unknown. It also unknown if Broner violated any probation for prior convictions he may and whether or not he has jeopardized the Malignaggi fight -- or even his own freedom -- in doing so.

Malignaggi believes the fight is still on and added that Broner's arrest was “about having that rental Rolls Royce that he had and getting into a street altercation.”

“See what happens when you rent a Rolls Royce and pretend it’s yours?” said Malignaggi. “Somebody called him out on that s__t and he got into a fight. It’s all out now, and we're fighting.”