Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva recently told the combat sports media that he was knocked out twice while sparring for his Jake Paul boxing match, but later retracted that statement after landing in hot water with the Arizona boxing commission. Unfortunately for “The Spider,” his attempt to downplay the “exaggerated” remarks did little to keep regulators at bay.
The commission called for an emergency meeting on Thurs. night (Oct. 27) just two days before Silva is expected to lace up the gloves against celebrity boxing sensation Jake Paul in Glendale, according to MMA Fighting, for “the review of additional documentation submitted by (Silva) to determine his eligibility to compete in an upcoming bout on October 29, 2022.”
A copy of Thursday’s agenda is embedded below:
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Silva and his manager are probably having a Kramden-Norton “biiiig mouth” moment.
“I can control what I do in my training, but I don’t worry about the things that I can’t,” Silva said during his open workout on Wednesday. “I remain focused with a positive mindset. I try to continue to do this for myself. I do it because I love it. I do this for myself, for my fans and for my team with all the respect in the world for the boxing community.”
Paul, 25, had a similar issue ahead of his Ben Askren fight back in early 2021 after claiming he was already suffering from CTE. “The Problem Child” was ultimately cleared to compete but “The Spider” is 47 with a history of knockout losses under the UFC banner, so expect the commission to take a much closer look at Silva’s eligibility on Thursday night.
Stay tuned.