Laguna was known to have been ill for a while and in hospital, though his family didn’t disclose his illness. Notable tributes came from Laguna's countryman Roberto Duran and WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman.

"It has deeply pained me to learn of the passing of my champion, the great Ismael Laguna, 'El Tigre de Santa Isabel,' idol and legend of Panamanian and world boxing, a figure who left an indelible mark on my life," Duran said in an Instagram post.

“Since I was a kid, champion Laguna has always been my idol and my inspiration. I wanted to be a world champion like him. He made me believe that a Panamanian could reach the very top and earn respect anywhere in the world.”

"I deeply regret the passing of our former champion Ismael Laguna, the WBC's first Panamanian champion crowned in 1965 in the lightweight division. Rest in peace," Sulaiman said on Twitter.

Laguna was born in Santa Isabel, near Colon, Panama, on June 28, 1943. He fought on the streets and had a brief amateur career before turning professional at 17 as a bantamweight in August 1961.

The skillful boxer-puncher won his first 27 fights before tasting defeat the first time he fought outside Panama, losing to an older and more experienced Antonio Herrera by 10-round decision in Venezuela. Three months later in a rematch on Panamanian soil, Laguna exacted revenge with a sixth-round stoppage.

After notching four more wins, he fell short against future Hall of Famer Vicente Saldivar over 10 rounds in Tijuana, Mexico in 1964.

Laguna went on to claim The Ring and unified WBA/WBC lightweight titles when edging a 15-round majority decision win beyond Carlos Ortiz as 15,000 watched in April 1965.

A 10-round draw with Nicolino Locche followed in Locche's native Argentina three months later. That November, he lost a unanimous decision in an Ortiz rematch and fell short the same way during their August 1967 rubber match.

Ortiz was complimentary when reflecting on his former foe, telling The Ring in April 2017: "Laguna was a good boxer and puncher, though he didn't show it. He was an intelligent boxer, fast and had natural ability."

Unperturbed by that setback, he continued and in March 1970, became a two-time undisputed champion after a ninth-round stoppage of Mando Ramos in Los Angeles.

"El Tigre Colonense" produced a 13th-round stoppage of Guts Ishimatsu to retain his title on home soil in Panama City before Ken Buchanan pipped him via 15-round split decision in September 1970. Future Hall of Famer Buchanan repeated the trick with a clearer unanimous decision outcome a year later.

In April 2018, Buchanan told The Ring: "He was a lovely boxer and had all the moves. He could jab, uppercut, double jab, bob and weave. He was really, really special when I fought him and it was a very hard fight. Beating Laguna in Puerto Rico, that was the hardest fight I've ever had in my life."

Laguna (65-9-1, 37 KOs) didn't fight again. He enjoyed retirement and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2001.