Two fighters competing on the same card as Jake Paul 's rematch with Tyron Woodley were considered as alternative opponents to replace Tommy Fury.
Paul was originally set to fight Love Island star Fury on the December 18 card before former UFC champion Woodley stepped up on two weeks notice.
The pair first fought in August when Paul won by split decision, with an irate Woodley claiming he won the fight and demanding a rematch.
According to ESPN, Showtime Sports president Steven Espinoza considered Frank Gore and Deron Williams as opponents for Paul when Fury pulled out.
Former NBA point guard Williams and NFL star Gore will make their professional debuts in a four-round heavyweight fight on the undercard of the event.
But Espinoza scrapped plans of Williams or Gore stepping in because of the pre-existing rivalry between Paul and Woodley.
"The problem was we hadn't seen either [Gore or Williams] in a competitive boxing match. Given the storylines and given the ongoing rivalry and ongoing emotion, Tyron was easily the No. 1 choice," he said.
"As soon as this opportunity was presented to him, he was all in. He said, 'Absolutely.' In his eyes, this is karma. He feels like the fight was close enough that certainly it demands a rematch.
"He feels like Jake gave him his word on the rematch. And here he is. It was a winding road to get here, but he's got the rematch."
Woodley claims he even rejected offers from other promotions for more money to accept a rematch with Paul.
The 39-year-old parted ways with the UFC in April after four straight losses with the promotion and signed a contract to fight Paul just one month later.
Will it be repeat or revenge in the rematch between Paul and Woodley? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below
He was filming on a movie set when he received news of Fury's injury, but has been training since October after predicting the Brit's would pull out.
And Woodley - who previously claimed he took the fight in "20 seconds" - labelled Paul as "silly" for choosing to fight him again.
"[Paul's team was] getting nervous, Showtime was getting nervous. Jake was getting nervous. I just really in my heart felt like this was meant to be," Woodley said.
"I didn't feel any anxiety, I didn't feel any nerves. I felt like if I would have waited 24 hours, that would have been a bad move.
"I wanted to get this done while he was silly enough to fight me again. I feel like it gets me another chance. People don't get second chances."
