No. 97 - Ismael Laguna

Ismael Laguna of Panama was a two-time lightweight champion who took on the very best the division had to offer in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Laguna's signature win was his 1965 majority decision over all-time great Carlos Ortiz. Ortiz had held the lightweight title since 1962 and had defended it four times before losing to Laguna. The win made Laguna an overnight hero in Panama and the small country's first world champion since Panama Al Brown in the 1920s.

Ortiz and Laguna would fight two more times with Ortiz winning both. Laguna would regain the lightweight title in 1970 and defend it once before losing it to Ken Buchanan in 1970. Laguna fought Buchanan again in 1971, lost and retired.

In all, Laguna fought 12 significant fights and had a middling 5-6-1 record. He was 1-2 against Ortiz. He had a draw against Hall of Famer Nicolino Locche and two wins over Hall of Famer Lloyd Marshall. He lost his only match to Flashe Elorde and both to Buchanan.

You had to be great, though, to bother Laguna, who was known for his smooth, elusive, hit-and-move style. He was 60-3 in non-significant fights.

It was his big victory over Ortiz and wins over Marshall that powered him into the top 100.

Ismael Laguna
Significant Fights
Opponent	Result	Fight Points	Title Points	HOF Points	Total	x Win %	Final Total
Vicente Saldivar	UD-L	0			0	96.00%	0
Carlos Ortiz	SD-W	75	100	100	275	90.00%	247.5
Nicolino Locche	D	50		50	100	96.61%	96.6
Carlos Ortiz	UD-L	0			0	87.18%	0
Flashe Elorde	UD-L	0			0	86.89%	0
Carlos Ortiz	UD-L	0			0	83.33%	0
Lloyd Marshall	KO	100		100	200	82.61%	165.2
Mando Ramos	KO	100	100		200	90.32%	180.6
Guts Ishimatsu	KO	100	100		200	76.19%	152.4
Ken Buchanan	SD-L	25	25	25	75	97.30%	73.0
Lloyd Marshall	UD-W	90		100	190	75.86%	144.1
Ken Buchanan	UD-L	0			0	89.02%	0
Total (5-6-1, 3 KOs, 1 SD, 1 SDL)							1,059.5
Record in non-significant fights
60-3-0, 34 KOs, 1 MD, 1 SDL		5,750
% of fights toward 50 (60.3%)		3,467.25				76.70%	2,659.4
PEAK 5 Fights
Carlos Ortiz							247.5
Mando Ramos							180.6
Lloyd Marshall							165.2
Guts Ishimatsu							152.4
Lloyd Marshall							144.1
PEAK 5 Total							889.9
Final totals (significant, non-significant, PEAK 5)							4,608.7

Boxing's 100 Countdown
Rank	Fighter	Significant Fights	Non-Significant Fights	Peak 5	Final Total
97.	Ismael Laguna	1,059.5	2,659.4	889.9	4,608.7
98.	Ramon "Chocalatito" Gonzalez	2,187.1	1,771.9	638.6	4,597.5
99.	Wilfredo Benitez	1,439.4	2,223.0	914.4	4,586.8
100.	Carlos Zarate	1,124.2	2,707.1	751.5	4,582.8