Laguna Upsets Ortiz in Panama City

Apr. 10, 1965 - Ismael Laguna, relatively unknown outside his native Panama, upset Carlos Ortiz in Panama City tonight and became the lightweight champion of the world, scoring a 15-round decision in their title bout. A crowd of 18,000 saw the bout at the Olympic Stadium.

Ortiz, a Puerto Rican-born New Yorker, weighed 134¾ pounds for his fifth defense of the title he won from Joe Brown three years ago. Laguna came in at 132, three pounds under the class limit.

Jersey Joe Walcott, the former heavyweight champion who was the referee, voted for Laguna, as did a Panamanian judge. The other judge, Ben Greene of New York, called it a draw.

Greene was escorted from the arena to his hotel by armed policemen, an escort he had requested before the fight. He had told police he had been warned he would be lynched if he gave an anti-Laguna decision.

Laguna, a 21-year-old from Colon, opened a cut over Ortiz’s eye in the sixth, survived Ortiz’s furious rally in the ninth, and mixed it freely with the champion in the last two rounds.

The defeat ended Ortiz’s 12-bout win streak that began before he won the title from Brown in Las Vegas in 1962. 

Many of Laguna’s followers jumped into the ring as soon as the fight had ended, certain he had won. The announcement of the decision was delayed several minutes until the ring was cleared.

Laguna has a record of 38-2, but most of his previous bouts were against little-known Panamanian opponents.

He had always fought as a featherweight, and this bout was his first in the lightweight class. His speed helped him win the title from the 28-year-old Ortiz, whose record is 44-5 with one no-decision.

“Laguna is a great fighter,” Ortiz said, “and a great champion.”

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