Ismael Laguna Age, Death, Biography

Some Lesser Known Facts About Ismael Laguna

• Ismael Laguna was born in Santa Isabel, near Colón, Panama. Colón is a port city located at the Caribbean end of the Panama Canal.

• He grew up in a large family. He had eight siblings. He also had a twin brother named Carlos Laguna Meneses.

• His father, Generoso Laguna Martínez, was active in politics and served as the mayor of the Santa Isabel district.

• His childhood was difficult. His family did not have much money, so he started working when he was young.

• He worked as a newspaper seller and shoe cleaner to earn money and help his family financially.

• During this period, he also got into fights on the streets of Colón. In an interview with a media outlet, he remembered that fighting was a regular part of his daily life when he was a boy.

• As a child, he liked playing football. He played as both a goalkeeper and a forward while growing up in Colón.

• Once, Ismael Laguna left school because his family needed him to earn money. He worked at a slaughterhouse, where he cleaned and salted animal hides. He earned very little money there but sold leftover meat and other items to make extra money for his mother.

• When he was twelve years old, he started practising boxing.

• One day, he went to the beach at La Playita in Colón, where professional boxers received training. There, a national champion named Carlos Watson was looking for someone with whom he could practise boxing. He accepted Watson’s challenge. He was younger than Watson.

• Ismael Laguna then impressed Watson and his trainer with his ability after the match.

• After that, boxing trainer Ramón “Curro” Dosman noticed his talent and wanted to train him properly.

• Dosman then met Laguna’s parents and convinced them that boxing could give their son discipline and keep him away from trouble.

• He competed in about six amateur fights before becoming a professional.

• He turned professional as a teenager.
  

  An old picture of Ismael Laguna

• Isaac Kretch managed Laguna’s early professional career, while Ramón “Curro” Dosman was an important trainer in his development.
  

  Coach Ramón ‘Curro’ Dosman, Ismael Laguna, and manager Isaac Kresh

• Laguna then became one of the best young boxers in Panama. He fought regularly in Panama City and built a strong following among local fans.

• After winning his first 27 professional fights, he suffered his first defeat, which he faced outside Panama. He lost a 10-round decision to the boxer Antonio Herrera in Venezuela. Later, Laguna stopped Herrera in their rematch at his hometown.

  

  Antonio ‘Mochila’ Herrera (left) inflicted Laguna’s first defeat in the professional ranks

• Later, he fought with many top boxers from different countries. His opponents included Vicente Saldivar, Gabriel “Flash” Elorde, Nicolino Locche, Carlos Ortiz, Mando Ramos, Ken Buchanan, and Guts Ishimatsu.

• In his early career, he won the Panamanian featherweight title.

• He later moved into the lightweight division, where he achieved his greatest success.

• On 10 April 1965, he faced Puerto Rican champion Carlos Ortiz at the Juan Demóstenes Arosemena Stadium in Panama City. Reportedly, more than 15,000 people watched the fight.

• Ismael Laguna won the 15-round fight by majority decision and became world lightweight champion. He also won the WBA and WBC lightweight titles.

  

  Ismael Laguna during a fight with Carlos Ortiz

• He then became the first Panamanian to win a WBC world championship at the age of 21.

• He made history in Panamanian boxing as before him, Panama’s only world boxing champion had been the great Panama Al Brown, who won a world title in 1929.

• Ismael Laguna then became Panama’s second world champion.

• In November 1965, he faced Ortiz in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Ortiz won the rematch by decision and took back the championship.

• He then continued fighting matches with some of the best boxers in the world.

• In 1966, he faced the great Filipino boxer Flash Elorde, who knocked Laguna down twice and won the 10-round decision.

• In 1967, he fought with Carlos Ortiz for a third time in New York, United States. Ortiz again won by decision after 15 rounds. Their rivalry then became one of the important parts of Laguna’s career.

• On 3 March 1970, he competed at the world lightweight championship and faced Mando Ramos, an American-Mexican boxer, in Los Angeles.

• Ismael Laguna stopped Ramos in the ninth round and became world champion for the second time. The WBA and WBC then honoured him with his second world title reign.

  

  Ismael Laguna during a fight with Mando Ramos

• After that, he won the title in a fight against the boxer Guts Ishimatsu of Japan in Panama City. Laguna won that fight by stopping Ishimatsu in the 13th round.

• Laguna then faced Scottish boxer Ken Buchanan in September 1970. The two fought for the world lightweight championship. Buchanan won by a close 15-round split decision. Laguna then lost his second world title.

• In 1971, Laguna received another chance to fight against Buchanan, who won this time by a clearer decision. It became Laguna’s final professional fight.

• In 2018, in an interview with a noted media outlet, Buchanan described Laguna as a special boxer who could jab, double-jab, use uppercuts, bob and weave. Buchanan said that their fight was one of the hardest fights of his life.
  

  Ismael Laguna in a fight with Ken Buchanan

• Ismael Laguna was known for his speed, footwork, defence, and technical skill.

• He was an orthodox boxer and was praised for his quick movement and sharp jab.

• Laguna retired from boxing in 1971 after completing a professional career of 75 fights.
  

  Ismael Laguna during an event

• His final record was 65 wins, 9 losses and 1 draw, with 37 wins by knockout.

• On 8 September 2026, Ismael Laguna passed away at the age of 83. He was dealing with health problems and was admitted in hospital before his death.