Herrera turned pro in 1963 and in 1972 defeated Rubén Olivares by TKO to capture the Lineal, WBC and WBA bantamweight titles.
Pinder was stripped of the WBC title after this fight for failure to defend against Rodolfo Martinez.
[3] The outcome of the bout was controversial, as Herrera was on his feet at the count of 7 after being knocked down and was asked by the referee if he could continue.
Herrera nodded "yes" but a split second later the referee raised Martinez' hand and declared him the winner.
The ensuing conversation between Herrera and the referee was heard on the national TV broadcast.