By Keith Idec
NEW YORK – Adrien Broner briefly but bluntly described what had happened to him a few days earlier.
Surrounded by reporters following Shawn Porter’s win against Andre Berto on Saturday night at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, Broner was asked about the incident in his native Cincinnati in which someone shot numerous times at an SUV Broner had rented.
“Well, somebody just tried to kill me the other day,” Broner said. “But it’s OK. At the end of the day, God blessed me. I’m still here. And at the end of the day, I’m just gonna be the best I can be for my children, for my family, for my friends and for myself.”
Broner didn’t offer more details about what occurred early Thursday in Cincinnati.
According to a report published by the Cincinnati Enquirer, police in Covington, Kentucky, detected eight bullet holes in the rented SUV Broner was driving after arresting him early Thursday morning on an open warrant from 2014. The former four-division champion was charged with public intoxication and disorderly conduct, but posted a $503 bond Thursday and was released.
Broner, 27, is scheduled to appear in court Thursday.
The Cincinnati Enquirer also reported that Broner told police in Covington, just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, that an unidentified person followed him from G’Moni’s Bar in Cincinnati and shot at the white Chevrolet Suburban he was driving. Broner wasn’t injured during the incident, but his arrest was yet another legal entanglement for the embattled boxer.
His recent posts on social media also have sparked speculation that Broner either is suicidal or fears for his life. The troubled boxer posted, “I know I’m go die soon!!!” on Instagram on Saturday.
When asked during the aforementioned interview what his life has been like recently, Broner strangely said, “Believe it or not, I always dreamed of this. Now I’m living my dream. I don’t ever wanna wake up. I’m in a dream right now. I don’t ever wanna wake up.”
Broner (32-2, 24 KOs) is expected to return to the ring sometime in the summer. He most recently defeated Adrian Granados (18-5-2, 12 KOs) by split decision in a 10-round welterweight fight February 18 at Xavier University’s Cintas Center in Cincinnati.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
