Laffita rose to prominence after Olympic champion Yuriorkis Gamboa moved out of his weight class. During the 2005 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Mianyang, China Laffita defeated Somjit Jongjohor, Violito Payla, Juan Carlos Payano, Jérôme Thomas and Mirat Sarsembayev to reach the final. He lost to Lee Ok-Sung, winning the silver medal.