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Broner: Fight and arrest a misunderstanding

Adrien Broner was too strong for Gavin Rees in February © AP

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Lightweight titlist Adrien Broner was arrested outside a Miami Beach hotel nightclub in the early hours of Monday morning, charged with battery and released on $1,500 bail.

Broner allegedly bit a security guard who was attempting to break up a fight around 3am, according to multiple reports.

Broner, 23, and his companion, Michael Owensby, 24, were involved in a fight when hotel security was called to the scene, according to Miami CBS Ch. 4.

During the fight, Broner allegedly bit the security guard.

Broner, a Cincinnati native, tweeted his mug shot and booking information, although it was later deleted.

"It was just a misunderstanding," Broner told ESPN.com. "They thought it was this big fight, but it wasn't. And I didn't throw a punch. It's OK. I'm OK."

Broner declined to go into any further details about the incident.

On Tuesday night, he tweeted, "I wanted to say sorry to all my fans in this world for my behavior these last couple days. I know it's people that look up to me. I APOLOGIZE."

Broner (26-0, 22 KOs), widely regarded as one of boxing's future stars, is a former junior-lightweight titlist who went on to win a lightweight belt in November when he dismantled Mexico's Antonio DeMarco in a one-sided eighth-round knockout victory.

Broner made his first defence on February 16 in Atlantic City, rolling past former junior-welterweight titlist Gavin Rees of Wales in a similarly one-sided fifth-round knockout.

Broner is likely to return on June 22 for a fight in which he would move up two weight classes to challenge welterweight titleholder Paulie Malignaggi.

Later on Monday came the news that HBO, which had been regularly featuring Broner's fights and heavily marketing him, had severed ties with his promoter, Golden Boy, which now does most of its business with rival Showtime.

HBO's move leaves Broner without a television home and probably headed for Showtime, even though he still refers to himself as "Mr. HBO."

"I heard about it," Broner said of HBO's announcement that it would stop buying fights from Golden Boy. "But Adrien Broner is still Mr. HBO. I'm still Mr. HBO, mark my words. I am Mr. HBO and I always will be Mr. HBO."

This article first appeared on ESPN.com

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