Why was Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva fight in danger of being canceled?

Jake Paul's fight with former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva was in danger of being canceled after 'The Spider' told MMA Weekly that he was knocked out in sparring before walking back on the claims.

As per sports reporter Marc Raimondi, the Arizona Boxing Commission was scheduled to review Silva's ability to compete in his October 29 boxing event against 'The Problem Child' yesterday.

In an interview with MMA Weekly last month, the former UFC champion revealed that he had been knocked out twice in sparring in the lead-up to the fight.

Watch Silva's interview with MMA Weekly below:

As per a report by the Mirror, the 47-year-old later released a statement clarifying that he was never knocked out and misspoke during the interview as he was not very proficient in English. Silva was quoted saying:

"After seeing the reports and concern for me, I'd like to clarify two important things. One, I was NEVER knocked out in sparring. I misspoke in that interview as I sometimes do when interviewing in English and exaggerated the normal back-and-forth action that occurs in sparring... I am fit and ready to fight and the only knockout people should be worried about is the one I'm about to deliver to Jake Paul on Saturday night."

However, as per Sports Illustrated's senior writer Chris Mannix, the issue has since been resolved and Silva has been cleared by the Arizona Boxing Commission for the fight.

Jake Paul and Anderson Silva are scheduled to meet in the ring on October 29 in the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

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Jake Paul and Anderson Silva make a bet for their upcoming fight

During the press conference for their October 29 boxing match, Jake Paul and former UFC champion Anderson Silva agreed on a unique bet for their fight.

According to the bet, if Paul loses the fight, he will compete against Silva in a kickboxing bout. If Silva falls prey to the 25-year-old, both the athletes will come together to create a fighters union to help UFC fighters negotiate better pay and healthcare.

Paul said:

"If you win ill fight you in... kickboxing. But if I win, me and you come together to create a United Fighters Association to help UFC fighters get better pay and better healthcare."

Watch Paul detail the bet for his fight with Silva below: