A late starter into boxing, Estaba became a professional in 1967, at the relatively old (for boxing) age of 29. He beat Pedro Garcia by a knockout in one on February 28 of that year.
He kept his winning streak until losing a ten round decision to Natalio Jimenez in Caracas in 1968. He avenged that loss immediately by beating Jimenez in his next fight, by decision. After two more wins, he had his first fight abroad, when he lost to Jimenez, again by decision, at Santo Domingo.
In 1975, Estaba became boxing's second world champion ever in the Jr. Flyweight division, when he obtained the vacant WBC title by knocking out Rafael Lovera, who was making his professional debut during this world title bout. He knocked Lovera out in round four September 13 of that year. He defended the title 12 times, including victories over former or future world champions Franco Udella, Rafael Pedroza, and Netrnoi Vorasingh. In 1977, he was named Venezuelan Athlete of the Year.
His luck ran out in 1978, when he lost the title to Mexico's Freddie Castillo by a knockout in round 14 on February 19. After beating Ricardo Estupinan by a decision in 15 to win the Central American title in his division, he challenged Vorasingh (who had beaten Castillo) for the world title. Estaba lost by a knockout in five rounds on July 29, in what he knew would be his last fight as a professional, because local Venezuelan boxing laws ban anyone over 40 years old to box professionally, and Estaba turned 40 only two weeks after that fight.
Being forced into retirement, he left the sport of boxing with 41 wins, 9 losses and 2 draws, 27 wins having been by knockout.
Eusebio Pedroza was a Panamanian boxer who held the WBA and lineal featherweight championship from 1978 to 1985, having defended the title against 18 different contenders, more than any other boxer in featherweight history. His cousin, Rafael Pedroza, was a world champion also, in the junior bantamweight division, although Rafael's reign as world champion was short-lived. Eusebio Pedroza died one day before his 63rd birthday.
Jiro Watanabe is a Japanese former boxer. Watanabe, who fought only in Japan and South Korea, was one of the first World super flyweight champions, as the division was relatively new when he was crowned.
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Hilario Zapata is a Panamanian former professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 1993. He is a world champion in two weight classes, having held the WBC light flyweight title twice between 1980 and 1983 and the WBA flyweight title from 1985 to 1987.
Rubén Olivares Avila is a Mexican former professional boxer and a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame., Olivares was a world champion multiple times, and considered by many as the greatest bantamweight champion of all time. He was very popular among Mexicans, many of whom considered him to be Mexico's greatest fighter for a long period. He currently holds the record for the most wins in unified title bouts in bantamweight history, at 6. Olivares has also had both starring and cameo appearances in Mexican movies, and he participated in more than 100 professional bouts.
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During the 1960s, boxing, like mostly everything else around the world, went through changing times. Notable was the emergence of a young boxer named Cassius Clay, who would, in his own words shock the world, declare himself against war, and change his name to Muhammad Ali.
Pascual Nicolás Pérez was an Argentine flyweight boxer. Pérez was born in Tupungato in the Mendoza Province of Argentina, he went on to make history by becoming Argentina's first world boxing champion.
Betulio Segundo González is a former boxer from Venezuela, who is considered a national hero in Venezuela. He is considered by many to be Venezuela's greatest world champion in boxing history. A combatant of 91 bouts, he fought until eleven months before he turned forty, the mandatory age for professional fighters to retire in Venezuela.
Silvio Rafael Gámez, better known as Leo Gámez, is a Venezuelan former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. He is the first boxer in history to win world titles in the four lightest weight divisions, having held the WBA minimumweight title from 1989 to 1990, the WBA light flyweight title from 1993 to 1995, the WBA flyweight title in 1999, and the WBA super flyweight title from 2000 to 2001.
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Zou Shiming is a Chinese former professional boxer who competed from 2013 to 2017 and held the WBO flyweight title from 2016 to 2017. As an amateur, Zou is China's most successful boxer of all time. In the light-flyweight division, he won three consecutive Olympic medals, as well as three World Amateur Boxing Championships gold medals in 2005, 2007 and 2011.
Netrnoi Sor Vorasingh was a Thai world boxing champion.
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Franco Udella is an Italian former world boxing champion.
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Juan Antonio Guzmán Batista, better known as Juan Guzman, was a Dominican former professional boxer and WBA world Junior Flyweight champion. Due to his high percentage of wins by knockout, he was nicknamed "El Pequeno Foreman". Guzman was born in Santiago de los Caballeros, during the Rafael Trujillo dictatorship era.
Rafael Lovera Montiel was a former professional boxer from Paraguay. Lovera fought for the WBC's vacant world Junior Flyweight title, losing to Luis Estaba. Lovera was from Fernando de la Mora, Paraguay but he resided in Lambaré during the final years of his life.
Danilo Cabrera is a former professional boxer from the Dominican Republic. Known in professional boxing circles as "Cuero Duro", he fought for world championships three times, losing to International Boxing Hall of Fame members Barry McGuigan, Azumah Nelson and Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., respectively.
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Venezuelan
