Ismael Laguna
Laguna in 2006
Statistics
Real name	Ismael Laguna Meneses
Nickname(s)	El Tigre Colonense
Rated at	Lightweight
Height	5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m)
Reach	68 in (172.7 cm)
Nationality	Panamanian
Born	(1943-06-28) June 28, 1943 (age 68) Colón, Panama
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	75
Wins	65
Wins by KO	37
Losses	9
Draws	1
No contests	0

Ismael Laguna Meneses (born June 28, 1943, in Colón, Panama) was a professional boxer. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2001.

Known as "El Tigre Colonense", Laguna was the Panamanian Featherweight Champion from 1962-63. He later was the World Lightweight Champion in 1965 and later regained the belt in 1970, but he was stripped of his WBC title prior to losing the WBA Title to Ken Buchanan.

Laguna also lost 15 round decisions in two other bids to regain his lightweight title, in 1967 against Carlos Ortiz, and in 1971 to Ken Buchanan. He retired after the loss to Buchanan in 1971.

Other honors[link]

• Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame (2001).
• Inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame (1999).

External links[link]

• International Boxing Hall of Fame Bio
• Professional boxing record for Ismael Laguna from BoxRec
• Ken Buchanan - Lightweight Champion of the World - Ken Buchanan site with detailed bio, statistics, full fights with Ismael Laguna and more

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Vicente Samuel Saldivar García (born May 3, 1943 in Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico, died July 18, 1985) was a Mexican boxer in the Featherweight division and was a part of the 1960 Mexican Olympic team.^[1] He was a former WBC and a two-time WBA Featherweight Champion.^[2] Saldivar has frequently been ranked amongst the greatest in the history of that division by many noted boxing historians and critics.^[3] Vicente fought in front of the fourth largest crowd ever, 90,000 in Estadio Azteca, and has also regularly been cited as one of the finest left-handed fighters of all time.^[4]

Childhood[link]

Saldivar was born in one of the many poor quarters of Mexico City and is one of seven children. He used to get in fights on the streets and in school, so his father decided to channel the misguided energy into boxing.^[5] Like many other Mexicans his father was a big boxing fan, so it was a logical move. Vicente was taught by Jose Moreno,^[6] a veteran trainer of a near by Mexico City boxing gym.^[7]

Fighting style[link]

As a southpaw, Vicente Saldivar was a dynamic fighter in the ring. He could box or brawl, and often softened opponents with a brutal body attack. Among his greatest assets was his stamina; he scored seven knockouts after the 7th round. Saldivar had an unusually slow heart and pulse rate, which he claimed was the secret of the phenomenal pace he was able to maintain in the ring.^[8][9]

Amateur career[link]

Saldivar had a successful amateur career, crowned with a Mexican Golden Gloves title at bantamweight. At seventeen years old, he surprised most by making the 1960 Mexican Olympic team, but lost a very disputed decision to Ernst Chervet. Having defeated the best Mexican amateurs, Saldivar turned pro in 1961 at the age of 17.^[10]

Professional career[link]

Saldivar turned pro in 1961 and won the Mexican featherweight title with a second-round knockout of Juan Ramírez^{[disambiguation needed ]} on February 8, 1964. His first major victory came on June 1 of that same year when he defeated future lightweight champion and hall of fame member Ismael Laguna. Before challenging for a world title, he accumulated a record of 25-1, with his sole loss coming via a contested disqualification, which he later avenged by knock out.

WBC & WBA Featherweight Championships[link]

On September 26, 1964, Saldivar won the WBA and WBC Featherweight titles by upsetting fellow Mexican fighter and future hall of famer Sugar Ramos with an 11th-round knockout in an extremely bloody battle. His first reign as champion would last three years, in which Saldivar made eight successful title defenses. The reign was highlighted by his trilogy with Howard Winstone.^[11]

In his first title defense, he defeated future champion Raul Rojas. On September 7 1965, he defeated Winstone in their first meeting with a 15-round decision . Following that victory, he defeated Floyd Robertson by second round knock out. He then defeated Mitsunori Seki in two consecutive bouts. On June 15, 1967, Saldivar defeated Winston once again by a 15-round decision. In 1996, Ring magazine included their second meeting on their list of the 100 greatest title fights of all-time.^[12] In the final installment of their trilogy, he defeated Winston by 12th round knock out.^[13] Saldivar announced his retirement after that contest in October 1967. Three months later, Winstone won recognition as WBC featherweight champion, claiming the belt left vacant by Saldivar, by defeating Mitsunori Seki with a 9th-round stoppage due to a cut right eye.

Return to the ring[link]

After 21 months of inactivity, Saldivar returned to the ring on July 18, 1969 and won a 10-round unanimous decision over another former as well as future Featherweight champion, José Legra. Then on May 9, 1970, he regained the featherweight title with a 15-round unanimous decision over Johnny Famechon. This reign, however, was short-lived. Saldivar lost the crown seven months later in his first defense against Kuniaki Shibata.

Retirement & comeback[link]

He would fight once more before retiring again in 1971, however, the lure of the ring was too strong. He returned at the age of 30 after 2 years and 3 months of inactivity for another title attempt on October 21, 1973. His opponent was fellow Hall of Famer and former bantamweight champion Éder Jofre. Jofre, who was 37, had won the Featherweight crown after coming out of his own retirement (albeit a brief 7 month one). Saldivar's skills had greatly diminished and Jofre won the contest with a fourth-round knockout in Brazil. After the fight, Saldivar retired for good.^[14][15]

Death[link]

He died of cancer on July 18, 1985, aged only 42.^[16] He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1999.

See also[link]

• List of Mexican boxing world champions
• List of WBC world champions
• List of WBA world champions
• List of Featherweight boxing champions

References[link]

External links[link]

• International Boxing Hall of Fame Bio
• Professional boxing record for Vicente Saldivar from BoxRec

Armando Ramos (November 15, 1948 – July 6, 2008) was a Mexican-American professional boxer^[1] and the former two-time WBC and WBA Lightweight Champion.^[2] He was born in Long Beach, California.^[3] Armando "Mando" Ramos was one of the most popular and exciting fighters in Southern California during the 1960s.^[4] Ramos was an outstanding amateur standout.^[5] Most boxing fans remember that he could out-box most fighters without getting touched, but because his punches packed knockout power he would preferred to duke it.^[6][7]

Professional career[link]

Mando Ramos turned pro at age 17 using a forged birth certificate. Mando went on to fight the main event at the storied Olympic Auditorium by his 8th pro fight.^[8] At the age of 18 Mando defeated the reigning Jr. Lightweight Champ, Japan's Yoshiro Kobayashi in a non-title bout. When offered a re-match for the title, the cocky Ramos refused to fight for a 'Junior' title.^[9]

World Lightweight Champion[link]

He demanded to fight dangerous Lightweight Champ Carlos Ortiz—Ortiz had dominated the division for over a decade.^[10] Negotiations were in place, but Ortiz was upset by 'Teo' Cruz and so Ramos took the fight to the new champ, narrowly losing in a decision. Ramos won the re-match via KO to become the youngest Lightweight Champion in history.^[11] Cruz would only live 11 more months. He died in a plane crash on January 1970 alongside the Puerto Rican national women's volleyball team at the Dominicana DC-9 air disaster.

Mando was the first fighter to draw hordes of women to the fights. When a Mando Ramos fight was held in Los Angeles, movie stars such as John Wayne, Bill Cosby, Kirk Douglas, Liz Taylor and Connie Stevens attended^{[citation needed]}. Women from all walks of life caught Mandomania, and Hollywood loved 'The Wonder Boy'.^[12][13]

Trained by Hall of Fame trainer Jackie McCoy,^[14] Ramos fought ten World title fights, was a two-time champion and earned millions of dollars. Whilst Mickey Mantle and Joe Namath earned 100k per season, Ramos was earning 100k per night. He was the world's highest paid teenager^{[citation needed]} and his purses were larger than anyone but Muhammad Ali's^{[citation needed]}. McCoy stated Mando was the most naturally talented fighter he had ever seen in his life.^[15]

Retirement[link]

Tough fights however, had taken their toll, along with the high life. Eventually drugs and alcohol put the brakes on his career. By age 24 Ramos was out of boxing.^[16] With the aid of his wife, Sylvia Van Hecke, Ramos overcame his demons and has been clean and sober for over three decades.^[17] He founded a non-profit youth organization---B.A.A.D.--boxing against alcohol and drugs—and donated tens of thousands of his own personal hours—to coaching, mentoring and training inner-city at-risk youths.^[18][19]

Mando Ramos died suddenly at his home in San Pedro, California on July 6, 2008.^[20][21]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Mando Ramos at the Internet Movie Database
• Professional boxing record for Mando Ramos from BoxRec

Ken Buchanan (born 28 June 1945) is the former Boxing Undisputed World Lightweight Champion. Many consider Buchanan to be the best boxer ever to come out of Scotland.

Boxing career[link]

Early career[link]

Before turning pro, Buchanan was the 1965 ABA featherweight champion. He started boxing professionally on 20 September 1965, beating Brian Tonks by a knockout in two rounds in London. He spent much of the early parts of his career fighting undistinguished opponents in England. His Scottish debut came in his 17th fight, when he outpointed John McMillan over 10 rounds on 23 January 1967. Prior to that, he had also beaten Ivan Whiter by a decision in 8 rounds.

Lightweight challenger[link]

Buchanan ran his winning streak to 23 consecutive bouts before challenging Maurice Cullen on 19 February 1968 for the British Lightweight title in London. He knocked Cullen out in the 11th Round and became a world classified Lightweight challenger.

He continued his way up the world Lightweight rankings by defeating Leonard Tavarez, Angel Robinson Garcia and Whiter (in a rematch) among others, but on 29 January 1970, he found his first stone on the boxing road when he challenged future world Jr. Welterweight champion Miguel Velazquez in Madrid, for the European Lightweight title. Buchanan lost a 15 round decision to Velazquez, but nevertheless, he continued his ascent towards the number one spot in the rankings by beating Tavarez in a rematch, Chris Fernandez and Brian Hudson, the latter of whom was beaten by a knockout in five in a defence of the British Lightweight title.

World Champion[link]

On September of that year, Buchanan travelled to Puerto Rico, where he would meet Ismael Laguna, the world Lightweight champion from Panama, on 26 September. Many experts thought that San Juan's warm weather would affect Buchanan, but he upset those who thought that way and beat Laguna by a 15 round decision to become world's Lightweight champion. At that time, the WBA and the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC), were in the middle of a feud, and Buchanan was not allowed to fight in the United Kingdom. He had to resort to fighting overseas for a short period of time. He finished 1970 beating Donato Panuato by a 10 round decision in a non-title bout.

Buchanan defeated Rubén Navarro in Los Angeles on February 12 1971, acquired the vacant WBC championship and became the Undisputed World Lightweight Champion. After that, he was allowed to fight in the United Kingdom again, and he returned there to beat former world junior welterweight champion Carlos Morocho Hernández by a knockout in eight.

Stripping of title[link]

He was stripped of the WBC title for failing to defend against Pedro Carrasco on 25 June 1971. But he remained the WBA world Lightweight champion.

Then, he flew to New York to meet Laguna again, this time defending his world title. Buchanan retained the title with another decision over Laguna, and then he had a couple of non-title affairs, one in London and one in South Africa. The South African fight against Andries Steyn in Johannesburg was a mismatch with his opponent's corner throwing in the towel in the third round.

His next defence came on 26 June 1972, against Panama's greatest, the then undefeated Roberto Durán at the Madison Square Garden (MSG) in New York. This bout proved to be one of the most controversial fights in boxing history. Durán was ahead on all three cards at the end of the 13th round, at which time the fighters spent an additional 20 seconds punching each other. Buchanan was knocked down writhing in pain from a groin injury, that Buchanan's trainer, Gil Clancy, said was caused by a knee to the groin. Referee Johnny LoBianco awarded the fight to Durán, insisting that the blow that took down Buchanan was "in the abdomen, not any lower" and that he felt that Buchanan would be unable to continue fighting.^[2] Columnist Red Smith of The New York Times wrote that LoBianco had to award the victory to Durán, even if the punch was a low blow, as "anything short of pulling a knife is regarded indulgently" in American boxing.^[3] Regardless of the circumstances of the fight's conclusion, the fact is that Buchanan took a beating throughout the bout and required hospitalization and surgery after the bout. Buchanan never received a rematch with Duran during the remainder of his boxing career; according to Gil Clancy this was because of no fan interest.

It is interesting that both fighters, his predecessor and his successor at the WBA championship were both Panamanians, Laguna and Duran.

In his next fight, Buchanan beat former 3 time world champion Carlos Ortiz by a knockout in six, also at the MSG, and he finished 1972 with a win over Chang Kil Lee.

Later career[link]

In 1973, Buchanan started out by beating future world Lightweight champion Jim Watt by a decision after 15 rounds, to regain the British lightweight title. Soon, he embarked on another international tour that included more fights in the United States, several fights in Denmark, and one fight in Canada. He won each of those fights, leading towards a challenge of European Lightweight champion Antonio Puddu in Italy, and Buchanan added the European Lightweight championship belt to his shelf by defeating Puddu by a decision in 15 rounds. He retained the title by beating Tavarez for the third time, this time by a knockout in 14 at Paris, and then he travelled to Japan to fight for the world title again. This time, however, he was defeated by a decision in 15 rounds by the WBC's world champion, Guts Ishimatsu.

Buchanan re-grouped once again, and won in a defense of the European Lightweight title against Giancarlo Usai by a knockout in 12. But he retired from 1976 to 1978, leaving the European Lightweight title vacant.

When he returned to professional boxing in 1978, he won two straight bouts, but everything else started going backwards for him. Challenging Charlie Nash in Copenhagen, he lost by a decision in twelve. In 1980, he won two bouts in a row, but after that, he lost five bouts in a row, finally retiring for good after losing to George Feeney by a decision in eight on 25 January 1982. In 2000, he was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Possible return to the ring[link]

Because of financial problems, Buchanan intends to make a comeback to boxing even at 63 years of age. He mentioned his desire for a rematch with Roberto Durán, himself 58 years old.^[4]

See also[link]

• List of British lightweight boxing champions
• List of lightweight boxing champions

• List of WBC world champions
• List of undisputed boxing champions

References[link]

• The Tartan Legend: The Autobiography by Ken Buchanan

External links[link]

• Ken Buchanan - A Look Back At a True Great - The Story Of Buchanans Rise To Fame
• Ken Buchanan - Lightweight Champion of the World - Ken Buchanan site with detailed bio, statistics, full fights and more
• Professional boxing record for Ken Buchanan from BoxRec
• Ken Buchanan interview with stv, 18 June 2007.