At 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 metres), Pedroza was tall for a featherweight. He excelled in late rounds and at times was accused of being a dirty fighter. Pedroza began boxing professionally in 1973 and received his first opportunity to fight for the World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight title on April 3, 1976, but lost when he was knocked out in the second round by Alfonso Zamora of Mexico. On April 15, 1978, Pedroza knocked out Spaniard Cecilio Lastra in the 13th round to claim the WBA featherweight title. He held that title for seven years, during which he made 19 title defenses, a division record. His reign came to an end on June 8, 1985, when he lost a 15-round decision (a fight whose outcome is determined by judges' scoring) at the hands of Barry McGuigan of Ireland. Pedroza had a career record of 42 wins (25 by knockouts), 6 losses, 1 draw, and 1 no decision. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1999.