This is Part 2 of the interview with Emily Pandelakis of Athlete Evolution Public Relations, home to some fighters such as Jose Benavidez Jr., David Benavidez, Lateef Kayode, Michael Medina, Jamie Kavanagh, and Wale “Lucky Boy” Omotoso. She continued in this interview to talk about Lateef Kayode and some of her other boxers with their upcoming events, as well as some of her personal moments with some of her favorite boxers.
We spoke about a hot topic regarding Lateef Kayode, who has recently moved to the Heavyweight division. We haven’t heard much from him recently, so I was interested in when is the next time we were going to see him, so I asked if there was anything lined up for him at this point. Was there a date, venue, or opponent that is finalized or close to being finalized? Emily responded, “There isn’t anything on the books right now. We were hoping to see him make his heavyweight debut in February, but there was an issue with the opponent, hopefully soon.”
Continuing on Kayode, most of us fight fans have seen the footage of him in the post-fight interview after the Antonio Tarver fight on Showtime, so I asked what type of effect does that have on a PR group as a whole. Did they back off him a little bit or try to push him even more to counteract it? “We didn’t really push him more or less. He was truly was sorry for the things he said in the heat of the moment, and we focused on really just trying to make that right with Showtime. It was unfortunate that he said those things in an emotional moment, but he was sincerely apologetic. We just publicly and privately tried to make it right with the network”, said Pandelakis.
We then turned the subject back to her personal experiences with boxers as I asked who the 1st boxer she had to promote was and if he was still with her. She excitedly replied, “Yes! I met Jose Benavidez Jr. and his dad when Junior was 13 or 14 here in Phoenix. I worked with him for years, and made great contacts, which enabled me to branch out and work with other fighters. I still work with him, and his dad and I are like family. He has helped me navigate the boxing waters and for that I’m very grateful. We talk like three times a day, and I talk to Junior frequently as well. I can’t wait for him to get back in the ring.”
With Emily being around boxers for such a long time, I asked if she has ever been star struck or stunned by meeting anyone. Pandelakis said, “I was a fan before I was involved in the sport. I was a big fan of Juan Manuel Lopez and I was pretty star struck when I met him. I really try to keep it together. When I first met with Orlando Salido, it was in a friend’s kitchen. I don’t speak Spanish well and the friend’s son was translating for us. I just remember thinking how surreal it was that I was sitting there with them and having this conversation. They invited me to stay for dinner. I thought, ‘Is this really happening right now?’ I think I played it off okay though. I think I get more star struck around the people behind the scenes that I know are responsible for a lot of what happens in the business. “
Some of the upcoming events Emily Pandelakis would like you to know about are: Wale “Lucky Boy” Omotoso upcoming fight with Jessie Vargas and Gabino Saenz who will be facing Pablo Batres in Carson, California, this Saturday on the Timothy Bradley vs. Ruslan Provodnikov undercard. Also Javier “Pelos” Garcia will be facing Rasool Shakoor, March 30th in California and tickets just went on sale for Iron Boy 7, which will take place on May 17th.
Pandelakis last statement was, “I appreciate being able to work with such amazing fighters, managers, trainers, media and boxing fans.” It was a pleasure to speak with Emily and I appreciate the time she gave me. To get in touch with Emily Pandelakis, her twitter handle is @emilyboxing and he facebook is http://www.facebook.com/emilyboxing.
