Former HBO boxing executive Mark Taffet, through his company Mark Taffet Media LLC, has entered into a management agreement with 2024 Puerto Rican Olympian Ashleyann Lozada and her team headed by advisor Miguel Ortega-Nunez.  Lozada’s decision to turn pro comes just months after she became the first woman ever to represent boxing-rich Puerto Rico in the Olympics. Lozada’s move to the professional ranks follows an outstanding amateur career in which she won the gold medal at both the Central American and Caribbean Games of 2018 and 2023 and a bronze medal in the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. The Pan American Games medal secured her position on Puerto Rico’s 2024 Paris Olympic team. In Paris, Ashleyann scored a first-round victory over Karina Ibraginova who had previously won a silver medal in the 2023 World Boxing Championships. 

 

Taffet's firm also manages two-time Olympic gold medal winner and current undefeated four-weight champion Claressa Shields  and is one of the world’s leading proponents of women’s boxing and has a long history of working with the greatest Puerto Rican fighters of his era while heading HBO's pay-per-view division from 1991-2015.

 

“I’m so excited to be working with Ashleyann Lozada and her team as they begin their professional boxing journey toward a world championship.  Through my years of great events with Tito Trinidad, Miguel Cotto and Ivan Calderon, I witnessed first-hand the passion and respect that Puerto Rican fighters and fans have for the sport of boxing. Ashleyann will add to this great legacy, and will be a great addition to the women’s boxing landscape for years to come,” said Taffet. 

 

“Paris 2024 was a dream that came true, and it has been the honor of my life to represent my country at the highest level my sport allowed me. Now, I am beginning the journey into my next dream: becoming a professional world boxing champion. And I cannot be more excited about the future,” said Puerto Rico’s Ashleyann Lozada. “Dreams come true with discipline, sacrifice, and the help of God. For many years, I’ve done my part, and God has helped me. Now it is time to make the next dream come true. I am confident that with my determination and the team around me, I will not only not only reach my goal of becoming world champion but will create new pathways in the sport for generations of women boxers to come. I want to leave my mark in this sport, and I believe Mr. Mark Taffet is the right person to help me in this endeavor.”

 

Ortega-Nunez added: “Female boxing has come a long way since the 90’s. But it still has great lengths to conquer and many challenges to face. Since I first met Mr. Taffet, I recognize his vision and commitment with female boxing. He has, literally, changed the landscape of the sport. He knows it from top to bottom.  That is why we are so excited and confident in this new relationship. Ashleyann will become a major figure in the sport and will cement her legacy as one of the best Puerto Rican fighters of all time. For her, the future is bright, and the sky is the limit. We welcome Mr. Taffet to 'Team La Máquina' with open arms.”