BoxRec

I never really saw him fight, outside of brief highlights.

From the look of his record, his biggest win is over Steve Cruz, fresh off his win over Barry McGuigan.

How did Esparragoza look against Cruz?

Was he really one of those guys nobody wanted to fight? Or is he overrated because of that perception that nobody wanted to fight him?

And who would've won if there was ever a unification fight between him and Paez?

Very good. He destroyed Cruz in his own backyard of Fort Worth, Texas, outboxing and outpunching him, and stayed on the road as champion and came through again and again (seven successful defences). He got a bit lucky against Marcos Villasana in LA, when low blows cost Villasana the title because of a deducted point - but Villasana was a strong, strong fighter.
While Esparragoza suffered for a lack of a big fight, he was definitely on a par with Paez - a classy, stiff-hitting champ.