In the locker room, Jake Paul's hands are being wrapped as his older brother, Logan, who also found fame and fortune on YouTube, speaks to him earnestly. "You've broadened your horizons, expanded your network, and enhanced your emotional intelligence and capabilities," Logan tells Jake. "From creating silly home videos to revolutionizing the world of combat sports. Everyone here recognizes your immense power, which is why we're all present, including Netflix. If I ever run for president, I'd be honored to have you as my vice-president or perhaps secretary of defense. You'd be in charge of the red button. The all-powerful nuke that happens to be at the end of your right hand."

At least Jake chuckles softly when his brother mentions the absurdity of a presidential run in a new Netflix documentary. This documentary is part of a content blitz Netflix hopes will draw millions to watch Jake Paul's humiliating bout against 58-year-old Mike Tyson on Friday night in Arlington. In this sun-drenched corner of north Texas, a week after Donald Trump secured his return to the White House, the hype is intensifying. Jake and Logan, two brothers from Ohio aged 27 and 29, are fervent Trump supporters and, like their political idol, they constantly spew out nonsense, knowing some of it will eventually stick.

Jake can be heard boasting, "I'm a professional boxer, knocking people out," and "I could be the next Muhammad Ali." His older brother shrugs, "Of course he's delusional. We all are. It's why we're where we are – until it becomes reality. That's the beauty of Jake Paul." Grandiose delusions can sometimes become grim truths. Perhaps, with the world in turmoil, Logan Paul will one day become president. There's more chance of that happening than Jake becoming a great boxer. He has trained seriously and works hard, but it's hard to take Paul's claims of boxing authenticity seriously. He has had 11 fights so far, and only one opponent, Tommy Fury, was younger than him and a professional boxer. Paul lost that bout to an average fighter whose boxing credentials are based on being Tyson Fury's younger brother. Tommy Fury is also known for being a contestant on Love Island and, since beating Paul in February 2023, he has had only one further bout – against KSI, another YouTuber.

But there's a deeper story about Paul. In the Netflix documentary, he alleges that his father was violent towards him. Greg Paul denies any wrongdoing but suggests his boys should be grateful for his toughness. Logan agrees that Jake was traumatized by his childhood but, together, they started making YouTube videos as teenagers, which quickly attracted millions of subscribers. "We're media whores who create content on phones, edit it on iMovie, post it online, and get people talking," Logan says. Meanwhile, Jake suggests, "When they coined the term 'influencer,' they were talking about us."

At 18, Jake was wealthy enough to buy a $7.4m (£5.8m) house, but his notoriety took a toll. His brother and father were worried Jake might take his own life, but then, in August 2018, boxing seemingly transformed him. The Pauls launched YouTube boxing when they flew to England, and Logan drew with his British rival, the brash KSI. Jake and Deji Olatunji, KSI's brother, fought on the undercard. Jake was getting beaten in front of a packed and jeering Manchester Arena. He says, "I felt like I was dying … and I fucking loved it … some other part of me took over." He won the fight and, tired of making YouTube content and being hated, decided to become a professional fighter. "Boxing reinvigorated something inside me," he said. "It made me feel alive again."

Jake Paul seems genuine in appreciating the self-worth that boxing can instill. Since then, while defeating a series of former UFC fighters, he has built a 10-1 record that looks decent on paper but flimsy in a real ring. But he's smart and grinned with delight when, after beating the then 47-year-old MMA legend Anderson Silva, he turned to the cameras to reveal that pay-per-view buys had reached 1.3m at "$50 a pop." There are rumors that Paul could make $40m against Tyson, which is absurd money for a novice with none of the talent or hard-earned ringcraft of world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. But rather than getting angry, it's best to move on with a nod to Paul's business acumen.

President Trump spouts racism and misogyny. At his recent rally at Madison Square Garden, Trump was preceded on stage by a would-be comedian who described Puerto Rico as a "floating island of garbage." Yet Paul loves living in Puerto Rico and is passionate about supporting women's boxing. He promotes Amanda Serrano, a Puerto Rican woman born in New York, whose life has been transformed. She spent years earning peanuts and gaining little recognition, despite winning world titles at multiple weights. It's rumored she will make around $8m on Friday night, with her great rival Katie Taylor earning a supposed $6m, as their rematch is the only fight that really matters on the Paul v Tyson card.

Jake Paul might be a limited fighter trying to feel better about himself while raking in obscene amounts of money, but he can take pride in that. He won't be the next Muhammad Ali and, hopefully, not the vice-president of the United States either, but he has created a lasting legacy for women in boxing. We can hold onto that truth as the circus continues in Texas this week.

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