By Jake Donovan

Adrien Broner was issued a boxing license ahead of his eventual April 1 knockout win over Ashley Theophane on the condition that he would surrender to authorities immediately upon his return home to Cincinnati, Ohio. The former four-division titlist made good on that promise, turning himself in to  Hamilton County Sherriff's Department on Monday morning. 

Broner entered fight week two warrants out for his arrest stemming from an incident that allegedly took place on January 21 at Madison Bowl in Cincinnati. The boxer was charged with felonious assault and aggravated robbery. Bail was set at $100,000 - a pre-determined amount upon issuance of said warrants - and posted on behalf of Broner, who was released soon thereafter and was issued a court date of Tuesday, April 5. 

Despite serious charges looming overhead, Broner publicly appeared to be in positive spirits both throughout fight week despite everything swirling over head. Word of the warrants were made public on March 24, roughly eight days prior to his fight with Theophane, which headlined at a sold-out D.C. Armory venue in Washington, DC. 

Broner was already deep into training camp at Barry Hunter's Headbangers Gym in D.C. - commonplace for his career as he regularly divides camp between the location and head trainer Mike Stafford's gym in his Cincinnati hometown. The big difference on this particular occasion was that the warrant made the 26-year old a fugitive from justice. 

D.C. Metro police were made aware of his legal status, but were not in a position to apprehend him and return him to Ohio due to a deal worked out between his legal team and Hamilton County authorities that did not call for extradition through state lines.

With the agreement in place, Broner was granted a license by the D.C. Boxing and Wrestling Commission and was permitted to proceed with his Spike TV-televised main event. However, one more headline was added to the mix when he missed weight by 0.4 lbs at the pre-fight weigh-in, refusing to take advantage of the two-hour period to get within the 140-pound limit and instead vacating his super lightweight title. 

The belt was still at stake for Theophane (39-7-1, 11KOs), a hard-luck contender from Britain who trains out of promoter Floyd Mayweather's gym in Las Vegas. The title remains vacant as Broner emerged victorious with a 9th round stoppage.

Referee Luis Pabon was criticized for what was widely regarded as a premature stoppage, as Theophane's attempt to alert the third man of a missed low blow was instead misinterpreted as a signal of retreat and surrender. Little was made of the outcome, however, as the televised bout was never competitive and also lacking action in spots. 

With the win, Broner improved his pro record to 32-2 (24KOs). However, the weigh-in follies marked the second time in his career he was forced to leave a title at the scale. A similar occurrence took place at home in July '12, when he was massively over the super featherweight limit for his eventual 5th round stoppage of Vicente Escobedo.

Broner also previously reigned at lightweight and welterweight. He voluntarily vacated his lightweight title after just one defense, moving up to welterweight where he outpointed Paul Malignaggi to win a belt in their June '13 clash in Brooklyn, New York. His reign ended six months later, suffering his first career loss in a 12-round decision defeat to Marcos Maidana.

With his latest struggles at the scales, Broner - who was bone dry at Thursday's weigh-in, of which his portion was pushed back by nearly an hour - announced his intention to return to the welterweight division. 

How soon - if at all - will depend on the outcome of his current legal standing. 

The charges levied against him were filed by victim Christopher Carson, described as an acquaintance of Broner's for roughly two years. Carson alleges - both in the current charges as well as an active lawsuit filed with Hamilton County Court of Clerks - that he and Broner were engaged in an evening of high-stakes bowling. 

According to documents filed, Broner allegedly lost $14,000 to Carson - $8,000 in cash and another $6,000 in "credit." An attempt was made by the boxer to play one more game with another $6,000 at stake. Carson decided against the amount, instead requesting a $3,000 limit. Court documents state that Broner stormed out of the bowling alley, only for the two parties to be reintroduced outside in the parking lot upon the establishment's 3:00 a.m. closing.

Carson alleges that an argument ensued with Broner, with at least eight other people in the immediate vicinity of the two. According to court documents, Broner demanded back the $8,000 in cash that he lost, before going to a vehicle and returning with a 9mm gun, which he pointed at Carson before punching him twice and knocking him unconscious.

When Carson came back around, he discovered that he was robbed of $10,000 in his possession - the $8,000 he won from Broner in addition to another $2,000 of his own money. He then checked into a local hospital, but did not initially press charges. Instead, a civil lawsuit was filed and submitted to the Court of Clerks on February 6, with Carson seeking $25,000 in damages.

It wasn't until Cincinnati police gathered additional evidence and statements - claiming to have video evidence as well as a description of events from what police spokesmen described as credible witnesses - that charges were filed and arrest warrants were issued.

Broner declined to publicly discuss the case during fight week (likely upon legal advice, along with his newfound ritual of ignoring most of the press prior to a fight). He vaguely and briefly touched on the subject during his in-ring post-fight interview on Friday, but spoke as if his career wouldn't miss a beat. Rather than show any concern for potential legal repercussions, Broner instead called for Mayweather to come out of retirement and settle their ongoing out-of-the-ring feud in a sanctioned prizefight.

The likelihood of such a fight occurring are not worth discussing at present moment, at least not unless Mayweather announces his intention to resume his career. Until then, Broner's next fight will be inside a Hamilton County courtroom.  

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox