By Jake Donovan

At no point was it easy for local favorite Bryant Cruz, but a return to the win column came of his eight hard rounds with veteran spoiler Moises ;Delgadillo. A second round knockdown helped paved the way to a unanimous decision victory Wednesday evening at Hilton Westchester in Rye Brook, New York, 

Scores were 77-75, 79-72 and 80-71 in favor of Cruz, who hails from nearby Port Chester, New York.

Cruz returned for the first time since a knockout loss during his ShoBox debut in December. It was familiar surroundings for the 26-year old, who had headlined a previous (off-)Broadway Boxing show at this venue last February. Much like that evening, he was back in against a durable boxer from Mexico.

In fact, Delgadillo did enough to win the opening round on any objective scorecard (which wouldn't include the ridiculous tally of 80-71 for Cruz). The visiting boxer forced an aggressive pace and was in control in round two until a right hand shot landed flush on his chin. The punched caused Delgadillo's glove to touch the canvas which was correctly ruled a knockdown by referee Danny Schiavone, who did an outstanding job of policing the eight-round affair.

Cruz wasn't quite yet in the clear, as his determined opponent came storming back within that very round. It took for his trainer, well-respected cornerman and former contender Ronnie Shields to drill in his head to box more and throw in combination. 

From there. it was "Cruz" control although Delgadillo (17-15-2, 8KOs) never backed down nor did he fade away quietly. Still, Cruz was able to do a little bit more in each round in picking up the well-deserved win as he advances to 17-1 (8KOs). 

UNDERCARD

Noel Murphy cruised to a six-round shutout over a determined but outgunned Ariel Vasquez. Scores were 60-52 across the board in favor of Murphy (6-0, 2KOs), born in Ireland but now based out of Brooklyn. 

Stivens Bujaj treated his sizable following on-site, as the Bronx-based Albanian cruiserweight made quick work of Nashville's Harvey Jolly. Three knockdowns paved the way for a 3rd round knockout win for Bujaj (15-0-1, 9KOs), who ended the fight with a perfectly placed right uppercut, forcing Jolly (14-24-1, 7KOs)

Billel Dib enjoyed a successful U.S, debut - as well as his first fight under co-managers Henry Rivalta and Garry Jonas - but was forced to overcome the rugged style of Jose Salinas and awkward scoring in earning an eight-round majority decision.

An even tally of 76-76 was overruled by scores of 77-75 an 79-73 in favor of Dib (19-1, 9KOs) in a rough-and-tumble affair.

Both boxers preferred to grapple on the inside, with Salinas (10-1-1) managing to outwork the visiting Aussie in spots - and enough to impress two of the three judges more so than those in attendance or watching at home on GFL.tv. Dib - whose cousin is former featherweight titlist Billy Dib - mixed boxing and mauling, effective enough to pick up his 10th consecutive victory. 

The opening bout of the evening saw Wesley Ferrer remain perfect with a 2nd round knockout of Mexico's Luis Alberto Pelayo (12-7, 7KOs). The Brooklyn based lightweight - now 11-0 (6KOs) - opened a cut over Pelayo's eye in round one before closing the show in round two. 

All bouts aired live on GFL.tv.

The date for the next edition of Broadway Boxing is expected to be announced in the coming days.

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of krikya360.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox