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championship. His bout with the very popular Ramos drew 16,000 fans. In addition to trying to cope with Laguna’s speed, Ramos was hampered throughout the bout by cuts over both eyes. The fight was stopped after the ninth round. At the time of the stoppage, Laguna was ahead in the scoring. Three months later, in Panama City, Laguna successfully defended the title by stopping Japanese challenger Guts Ishimatsu in the 13th round. Next in line was Scotland’s Ken Buchanan. The rugged Scotsman, who had lost only one of his previous 37 bouts, was the British lightweight champion. They met on September 26, 1970, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, three years after Laguna’s second loss to Ortiz. Buchanan entered the ring as the underdog but emerged as the world champion after winning a 15-round split decision. They were rematched a year after their first bout on September 13, 1971, at Madison Square Garden. The
confirmed. But retiring at 28, when his name recognition would still guarantee other lucrative bouts, lends credence to the rumors. For whatever reason he chose to retire, it’s just as well. Laguna’s Hall of Fame credentials were already well established. He fought at a time (1961-1971) when boxing was far less confusing and fragmented than today. It was an era when there was generally only one champion for each of the 11 weight divisions and, more often than not, the best fought the best. It is for that reason Ismael Laguna’s accomplishments remain even more significant. Rest in peace, champion. Award-winning boxing historian Mike Silver is the author of The Arc of Boxing: The Rise and Decline of the Sweet Science. His newest book is When in Doubt, Stop the Bout.
undercard included a young unknown Panamanian fighter named Roberto Duran. The future ring legend created an immediate buzz when “Hands of Stone” scored a spectacular one-punch knockout in the first round. Nine months later, Duran would overwhelm Buchanan and win the title on a controversial 13th- round TKO. Not surprisingly, Duran later recalled that watching Laguna as a youth inspired him to pursue boxing, resolving to become even bigger than his idol. In the months leading up to his rematch with Buchanan, Laguna won decisions over Lloyd Marshall and future titleholder Chango Carmona. But a split decision loss to unranked Eddie Linder 83 days before his second bout with Buchanan both surprised and alarmed his fans. Despite his loss to Buchanan one year before, Laguna was favored to win back the title. But it soon became apparent that either Laguna had lost his edge or he simply could not cope with Buchanan’s aggressive boxing. Laguna had always been able to keep one step ahead of this type of attack, but this night was different. He seemed to lack the usual energy and faded badly in the late rounds. Laguna lost a unanimous 15-round decision. He never fought again. Laguna finished his pro career with a 65-9-1 (37 KOs) record. He was never stopped. Rumors quickly spread that Laguna had entered the ring a sick man. Newspaper reports in the following days stated that Laguna had been diagnosed with sickle cell anemia. The reports were never
Laguna (left) in action against unbeaten Victor Melendez in 1968.
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