Adrien Broner is once again in need of a new opponent. 

A fractured jaw has forced Michael Williams Jr. to withdraw from his planned showdown with the former four-division titlist, who is left without a dance partner for his planned ring return. The latest development comes barely a week from the scheduled February 25 BLK Prime Pay-Per-View event from from Gateway Park Arena in the College Park section of Atlanta, Georgia. 

Michael Williams Sr. revealed the news late Thursday evening, along with an update on his son's training team. 

"First thing's first, Roy Jones Jr. is in longer one of my son's trainers," the elder Williams noted via social media. "Second I am so sorry to announce my son will not be fighting AB February 25th due to [an] unnecessary injury in training camp." 

Williams (20-1, 13KOs) was already a late replacement for Philadelphia’s Hank Lundy (31-12-1, 14KOs), which came earlier this month. The opponent switch was first reported by BoxingScene.com just one week after Lundy was named as the new opponent for Broner, replacing Ivan Redkach who was forced to withdraw due to a bitter dispute with promoter Joe DeGuardia.

Lundy was since removed from the mix after being dealt a suspension by the California State Athletic Commission. The veteran spoiler previously pulled out of a scheduled February 4 bout versus Ernesto Mercado (8-0, 8KOs) after having suffered a cut during a sparring session that wouldn’t heal in time for the show. 

The search led to Williams (20-1, 13KOs), a 6’1” fringe welterweight contender from Fayetteville, North Carolina, who was due to step up in competition even versus a rebounding and inactive Broner. His lone career defeat came in a brutally one-sided fourth-round stoppage loss to John Bauza in a December 2021 battle of unbeaten prospects. Williams was floored six times in their ESPN televised bout from Madison Square Garden in New York City before referee Charlie Fitch mercifully halted the contest.

Williams returned to the ring and the win column with a third-round knockout of Julio Buitrago last April 23 in Gadsden, Alabama.  

However, BoxingScene.com has learned that a late sparring session left Williams' jaw fractured in two places. The situation left the father disgusted with how camp was handled, thus going public with his insistence of Jones—a Hall of Fame former four-division champ who has struggled to find his calling as a trainer—being removed from the team altogether. 

The late-hour development left an air of uncertainty as to whether the show will move forward. Also stuck in a holding pattern as a result is a cursed lightweight battle between former titlists Tevin Farmer (30-5-1, 6KOs) and Mickey Bey (23-3-1, 11KOs).  

Cincinnati’s Broner (34-4-1, 24KOs) last fought in February 2021, when he claimed a twelve-round, unanimous decision win over Jovanie Santiago in Uncasville, Connecticut. That bout was his first since a loss to Manny Pacquiao in their January 2019 secondary welterweight title fight, which sold roughly 400,000 units atop a Showtime Pay-Per-View telecast.

The upcoming bout—assuming it sticks—mark the first of a lucrative three-fight deal between the 33-year-old Broner and BLK Prime, which was formally announced last October 25.

The originally scheduled fight versus Redkach was previously in the works on both sides of the pandemic, once eyed for 2020 and again sought for last January. Neither date materialized, with Broner instead facing Puerto Rico’s Santiago, whom he outpointed over twelve rounds.

Broner was due to return to the ring versus fellow former titlist Omar Figueroa last August 20 at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Training camp appeared to go well for the troubled former champion, only to withdraw from the Showtime-televised event due to what he described as a much-needed mental health reset.

The polarizing figure next surfaced as the star of a virtual press conference to confirm his multi-fight agreement with ‘Uncle Dez’ Desmond Gumbs and the BLK Prime family last October. It came less than two months prior to BLK’s debut showing last December 10, which saw WBO welterweight champion Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford (39-0, 30KOs) score a sixth-round knockout of David Avanesyan at CHI Health Center in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska.

Hours prior to the event, Broner’s own BLK Prime debut was formally announced during an on-site press conference. 

The company's next announcement will either reveal a new opponent or the event shutting down altogether.

As for Williams, the hope is to one day revisit plans.  

"Hopefully the fight will be postponed (instead of canceled)," noted Williams Sr. "I'm sorry."

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox