The WBC says YouTube star Jake Paul will earn a ranking in the cruiserweight division if he beats Tommy Fury in Saudi Arabia this month.
The American will face Britain’s Fury in Riyadh on 26 February in a fight that has been postponed twice.
Paul, 26, has won his six previous fights against a fellow YouTuber, a former NBA player and three mixed martial arts fighters.
Fury, 23, will be the first boxer Paul has faced.
The WBC is one of four major sanctioning bodies in boxing and ranks 40 of the best cruiserweights in the world.
All four bodies have a top 15 of fighters in each division they rank, with each fighter paying sanctioning fees to be in the running to challenge for a world title.
Ilunga Makabu is the current WBC champion.
Fury comes from a boxing background and is the younger brother of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson.
“Jake has dedication and respect to the sport and the WBC will not tolerate discrimination against anyone, he deserves the opportunities that any other boxer has,” said the sanctioning body in a statement.
“He demonstrated punching power and improved skills as well as a solid chin. Tommy Fury represents a clear challenge to Paul in a battle of two undefeated professional boxers.”
A planned bout in New York in August was called off after Fury was denied access to the United States.
Fury also withdrew from their fight in December 2021 through injury.
Paul last fought in November when he claimed a unanimous decision win against former UFC champion Anderson Silva.
Light-heavyweight Fury’s last contest was in in April, when he beat Poland’s Daniel Bocianski and is unbeaten in his eight-fight career.
Paul tweeted that Fury’s brother Tyson, and his father John, will make him retire if he fails to win in Saudi Arabia.
