The August 2023 issue of Sports Illustrated features The Power List, the definitive index of the 50 most influential figures and forces who drive the sports world, on and off the field and court.

“You know what’s funny?” Jake Paul asks, directing the question at no one in particular. It’s early May, and Paul is in Dallas, corralled in a locker room in American Airlines Center. A pair of cameramen, there to capture Paul’s movements before a press conference to promote his August fight against former UFC star Nate Diaz, sit across from him. Brandon Amato, Paul’s creative director, is flipping coat hangers onto hooks in a corner. Eventually, Paul’s gaze settles on Marcos Guerrero. In 2019, Paul, then fully immersed in the YouTube world, hired Guerrero as an editor. When Paul pivoted to boxing, he told Guerrero he wouldn’t be producing as much content. He asked whether Guerrero had ever been an assistant. As training for the job, he sent Guerrero to shadow the assistant for Paul’s brother, Logan. After a few weeks, Guerrero was ready. His first task: Fire Paul’s existing assistant.

“Donald,” Paul says, answering his own question. “Nate’s middle name is Donald.” He nods his head, channeling Eminem’s final freestyle in 8 Mile. “This guy’s a gangster, his real name’s Donald,” Paul raps. As a boxer, the 26-year-old Paul is a novice. As an irritant, he’s a seasoned pro. In 2021, Paul sparked a brawl after swiping a hat off Floyd Mayweather’s head at a press conference to promote Mayweather’s exhibition match against Logan. Months later, before a scheduled fight with Tommy Fury, Paul offered to pay Fury $500,000 if Fury beat him. If Fury lost, he would have to legally change his name to “Tommy Fumbles.” When Fury’s girlfriend, influencer Molly-Mae Hague, posted a photo of the couple holding their newborn, Paul hopped in the comments, writing, “Just in time to watch your dad get knocked out.”


Bets, Paul has discovered, tend to resonate. Before his first fight with Tyron Woodley, Paul insisted that the loser get a tattoo declaring his love for the winner (Woodley, after getting out-pointed, had I LOVE JAKE PAUL inked to his middle finger). It’s an attention-grabbing tactic Paul has noticed others borrowing. Weeks before facing off in March, Gervonta Davis challenged Ryan Garcia to bet his purse. “And that’s all anyone was talking about,” says Paul. “It gets mainstream attention. It sticks.”

As Paul speaks, his manager, Nakisa Bidarian, pulls up a chair alongside him. Bidarian, a stoic, Stanley Tucci type, is partners with Paul in Most Valuable Promotions, a promotional outfit, and the unofficial head of Jake Paul Inc. He wants to talk business. “Is that orange Celsius?” Bidarian asks, pointing to an unopened can on the table. In recent years Bidarian, a former UFC exec, has spearheaded the effort to evolve Paul from a volatile YouTuber to a more corporate-friendly product. Celsius, marketed as a healthier energy drink, recently signed Paul to a long-term endorsement deal. The goal is for other big brands to be right behind them.