PHILADELPHIA – Dante Benjamin, Haven Brady Jnr and Elijah Lugo – three prospects managed by David McWater – each scored decision victories in sturdy tests to remain undefeated Saturday on the ProBox TV undercard at the 2300 Arena.

The fights were supporting bouts for the Ricardo Salas vs Kent Cruz main event.

Benjamin, 11-0-1 (8 KOs), was extended the full eight rounds for the first time, outpointing tough Mexico native Rodolfo Gomez Jnr, 14-9-3 (10 KOs), by scores of 80-71 on two cards and 79-72 on the third.

The scores didn’t tell the full story as Benjamin, a former junior national champion from Cleveland, had to dig deep against Gomez, a Laredo, Texas, resident who refused to lay down.

Gomez started the fight off with a strong message, landing a pair of right hands that elicited “Meh-hee-co!” chants from the crowd. Benjamin did his best work when he was boxing behind his jab, which set up a big assault in the third, as two right hands and an uppercut sent Gomez into the ropes. Gomez was hurt again in the fourth, but even as his nose began to pour blood, he continued to pressure after the brief assaults. The mental pressure, as much as the physical pressure, began to wear down Benjamin, who was breathing through his mouth and fighting exclusively in spurts.

As Benjamin fought past the fourth for just the second time – and first past the sixth – it became more important for him to pace himself to the final bell. Benjamin’s cause was helped in the fifth when referee Ricky Gonzalez deducted a point from Gomez for hitting on the break, though the punch was innocuous.

Benjamin’s nose began to bleed in the seventh round, but Gomez didn’t have the firepower left to capitalize as the two clinched through the final round.

Brady, 15-0 (6 KOs), of Albany, Georgia, remained unbeaten with a split decision win over D'Angelo Keyes, 18-6 (11 KOs), of Houston.

Two judges scored the fight wide for Brady, 79-73 and 78-74, while the third had it for Keyes, 78-74.

Brady did his best work with his right hands, particularly around the guard, while Keyes looked for right hands down the middle. Brady’s body punching wore Keyes down in the second half of the fight, enabling Brady to pull away late.

In the opening TV fight, Elijah Lugo got the job done in his professional debut, shutting out the game Andre Johnson over four rounds in their middleweight fight.

All three judges scored the fight 40-36 in favor of Lugo, a 26-time national amateur champion from Marietta, Georgia.

Lugo made it known from the outset that he had no concern with the punches coming back from his opponent, as he squared up and walked down Johnson, from Grand Prairie, Texas. The overly aggressive approach opened him up to jabs and the occasional counter right from his opponent, but it was worth the price to land straight rights that snapped the head back of Johnson.

Lugo, 18, settled down in the second round, setting up his attack with his jab, which allowed him to land with greater accuracy.

The drawback to Lugo’s game plan was that he found himself smothering his work, and he more often found greater success when he would step back and let his punches breathe. Lugo’s nonstop attack appeared to be on the verge of forcing a stoppage in the fourth round as Johnson, breathing deeply from his bloodied mouth, looked ready to wilt. But just as referee Ricky Gonzalez appeared ready to step in, Johnson landed a flush right hand, which earned him the right to hear the final bell.

Lugo will be back in the ring May 9 in Houston. A formal announcement regarding his promotional situation is expected next week, McWater told BoxingScene.

Ryan Songalia is a reporter and editor for BoxingScene.com and has written for ESPN, the New York Daily News, Rappler, The Guardian, Vice and The Ring magazine. He holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at ryansongalia@gmail.com or on Twitter at @ryansongalia.