Godspeed on your way to heaven, Ismael Laguna.

This hurts. Another fine boxer gone from this world. El Tigre Colonense was a great fighter with a beautiful boxing style, one of the absolute best to come from Panama alongside Duran, Brown and Pedroza.

RIP Champ

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He'd have beaten the current Lightweight scene black and blue. One of Panama's finest. Genuinely bummed.

 

A stylist and a warrior. A joy to watch.

RIP, Champ.

 

Ah sh*t. Bollocks to old age.

Great fighter with a very underrated body of work, especially below lightweight. Very unlucky that he peaked at the same time as Saldivar and most notably Ortiz, though he managed to pull off one of the all time great wins at 135 against the latter.

A genuine road warrior as well who fought all over the world and rarely got the benefit of the doubt in several close fights. Saldivar, Locche, Elorde, the first Buchanan fight etc. If he'd scraped by Saldivar he would have bounced the weight drained version of Ramos at that point imo.

RIP old boy.

 

Very underrated resume indeed and was also unlucky in some of his close contests. I think the bouts with Saldivar and the first Buchanan fight were very close fights that could have gone his way. Elorde won fair and square due to hurting and dropping Laguna twice. Not much information on the draw against Locche but chances are the draw was more of a hometown gift towards Locche. I would think if Laguna had officially beaten guys like Elorde, Buchanan, Locche and Saldivar he would most certainly have a resume that rivals with Roberto Duran as the absolute best from Panama.

 

As a kid just getting into boxing I really liked Laguna because I thought his name was cool. LOL I remember when he fought Flash Elorde I thought it was the two coolest names to be in a ring at the same time. Anyway, I got a bit more discerning and savvy as time went on and when Laguna came to Los Angeles to fight Mando Ramos for Ramos' lightweight title I was a Ramos fan. When the fight was announced I was rooting for the local guy. However, by the time the fight started I had switched to my old favorite in Laguna. I was quite happy when he took the title by KO.

Rest in peace, Ismael.

 

RIP Champ.

 

I recall a story of the veteran Laguna meeting the up and coming Duran in a sparring match in Panama. The story was, that the young Duran got a bit cocky and took certain roughhouse liberties with the veteran. Laguna, not caring too much for the kid's aggressiveness, turned up the dial and ended the sparring with Duran cut oven an eye. I don't remember the publication I read it in but I'm surprised that during the time period that they didn't meet more often in the gym or was that just one story. Anyways, RIP to a great fighter. I heard sometime back he was suffering from sickle cell. He lived to a good age though.

 

RIP Ismael.

 

Rest easy el grande Campeon