(CNN) In boxing, love is often not lost between fighters. Whether that manifests itself in a brawl or a battle of words beforehand, intense rivalry has been commonplace over the years. The latest rivalry in sports has a very modern edge.
In one corner we have a former internet star. A man who made a name for himself on YouTube and through his music before turning his hand to boxing.
In the other a reality TV star and one of the younger brothers of one of the most successful boxers of all time.
Sunday’s fight between Jake Paul and Tommy Fury is one of the most highly anticipated in the modern history of the sport – not necessarily because of their relative qualities, but because of the bad blood between the two.
After years of hostile exchanges, Paul and Fury will finally land blows in the ring in Saudi Arabia this weekend and perhaps change the future of the sport itself.
Paul and Fury clash during their press conference.
Where and how to watch
The pair will throw blows at Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah Arena on Sunday to headline the night’s fight card.
The card kicks off at 2pm ET (10pm local time), with the eight-round cruiserweight bout starting at approximately 5pm ET (1am local time).
Here you can watch Paul and Fury duke it out:
Australia: You
Canada: DAZN
Brazil: DAZN
UK: BT Sport
USA: ESPN+
‘The Paul family name versus the Fury family name’
Sunday’s fight has been years in the making.
The two are scheduled to fight twice before. Fury pulled out of the first, citing a broken rib and bacterial infection of the chest, and for the second, Fury was denied a visa to meet Paul in the US.
The two fighters have taken several journeys to get to this point.
Fury has boxing in his blood. As the brother of world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and son of a former fighter, a career in the sport was always likely.
After a brief stint on the British reality TV show ‘Love Island’, 23-year-old Fury has turned all his focus to boxing and has kicked off his burgeoning career with an undefeated start of eight wins; though critics would say the detractors haven’t been tough.
Paul only started boxing in 2018, but has since racked up six wins – including four knockouts – against a variety of sports names, including victories against MMA world champions Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva.
What started out as seemingly a money-driven decision — given the huge purses boxers can earn, even in exhibition fights — has turned into a full-blown career move for Paul. However, Fury will be the first professional boxer he faces.
If he performs well, or even beats Fury, the boxing community may start to take him more seriously.
“What it means for my career, he’s a professional boxer and we’re in boxing,” Paul told BT Sport earlier this month.
Paul fights Tyron Woodley in their cruiserweight bout.
“The build up has been years and years in the making. It’s almost like we got three press tours with this fight because we’ve been trying to get it done for so long, so there’s so much media, so a lot of people want to see it.
“It’s country versus country, it’s the Paul family name versus the Fury family name.”
It’s also a huge fight for Fury – who hasn’t fought since beating Daniel Bocianski in April – as he’s lived in his brother’s shadow for years and also faced criticism for not achieving more in the sport so far .
“This is a huge event, a lot of people think this is going to be a very difficult, very close fight,” Fury told BT Sport.
“But at the end of the day it’s a big event because one guy is a superstar on the internet and the other guy is a legit boxer and people want to see [Paul] go against one.
“That’s all it is in my eyes. In my eyes it’s fight number nine, one more companion to take out.”
Fury will fight Anthony Taylor in their Cruiserweight bout at Rocket Morgage Fieldhouse on August 29, 2021.
Changing perspectives
Internet personalities getting into boxing have come a long way in the past five years.
Since the first fights between YouTube stars KSI and Joe Weller in 2017, people from all walks of life — from TikTok to music — have donned the gloves and entered the ring, with the sport’s demographic exhibit growing rapidly.
As the sport’s newcomers have improved and taken the craft more seriously, some of boxing’s traditional enthusiasts are beginning to be won over.
Former two-weight world champion Carl Frampton said the Paul vs. Fury fight at first chafed, but that he has come to understand the appeal of the event.
Paul and Fury face each other at their press conference.
“At the beginning I was like, ‘What is this?’ And as a boxer who has dedicated his life to the sport,” Frampton told the BBC, “if I’m honest, it kind of annoyed me at first that these guys were getting so much attention.
“But I understand now and I understand why there is such a call.”
In an unprecedented event, the World Boxing Council – one of boxing’s four major organizations – has announced that the winner of the fight will receive a top 40 cruiserweight ranking.
That’s a decision that has been criticized by members of the boxing fraternity, but gives the fight a legitimacy that many such bouts have previously lacked.
A special commemorative belt was created by the WBC. The Diriyah belt will be awarded to the winner, with the WBC saying the fight “continues to support the growth of our sport by attracting thousands of new viewers”.
The pre-fight press conference was barbed with Fury predicting he would knock Paul out in four rounds and Paul saying he’s there to “silence the critics”.
Paul and Fury hold the Diriyah Belt during their press conference.
In fact, the whole fight got another edge when Paul made a double or nothing bet with Fury during the press conference, saying he would give Fury all of his winnings if he lost. But if Paul won, he’d take all the money.
While Fury himself had no qualms about the deal, Fury’s father and trainer John seemed to agree.
For both fighters, this fight could be a huge stepping stone – in and out of the ring – to a successful boxing career.