The worlds of boxing and YouTube will collide again on Sunday when Tommy Fury and Jake Paul do battle in a cruiserweight contest.

With Paul promised a WBC ranking should he win, plenty will be on the line for both fighters in Saudi Arabia. 

Fury, 23, younger brother of WBC world heavyweight champ Tyson, will be defending the family name and reputation of the sweet science while Paul will be eager to take a big step towards becoming a legitimate pro boxer. 

KSI the catalyst?

British YouTuber KSI got the ball rolling when he knocked out fellow social media star Joe Weller at London's Copper Box Arena in 2018 in what was effectively white-collar boxing with headgear worn. 

But it caught the imagination and six months later an even bigger bout occurred. 

Manchester Arena hosted KSI's amateur boxing fight against American YouTuber Logan Paul on August 25, 2018, with their brothers Jake and Deji Olatunji also squaring off on the undercard. 

Press conferences took place in Los Angeles and London after tickets, which ranged from £30 to £495, were snapped up like hot cakes. 

A total of £1.3million pay-per-view buys worldwide were generated on YouTube in addition to 80,000 live purchases on other websites to make it the largest non-professional boxing match of all time. 

When did promoters jump on the bandwagon?

Matchroom supremo Eddie Hearn promoted the rematch between KSI and Paul at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on November 9, 2019. 

But this time it was a professional fight with no headgear and while the pandemic saw the world ground to a halt months later, YouTubers boxing did not lose its momentum. 

Logan's brother Jake, 26, founded Most Valuable Promotions in 2021 and snapped up Amanda Serrano while KSI teamed up with sports agency Wasserman Promotions to launch Misfits Boxing. 

What would victory for Jake mean?

While KSI started to focus on promoting exhibition boxing under his Misfits company and fighting in crossover events, Jake Paul has been involved in a number of pro fights and put himself on the verge of breaking through as the first YouTuber-turned-boxer. 

As mentioned earlier, victory over Fury would controversially earn Paul a WBC ranking. 

It is a fight that has generated a lot of criticism but also huge interest. 

Good or bad for boxing?

Influencers turning their hand to boxing has brought the sport to a new and younger audience. 

The worry is the damage that could occur if more social media stars step into the ring with professionals. 

Bookmakers are backing Paul to win but he would likely be the exception to the rule given how hard he has worked to reach this point and his dedication in recent years. 

Exhibitions have worked alongside boxing hand-in-hand for years and regardless of this weekend's result, it feels that is the way it should stay with YouTubers fighting in amateur bouts and pro ranks remaining exactly that — for professionals only.