Locally-based Pablo Valdez was forced to go the distance for the first time in his career, given all that he could handle in a majority decision win over a determined Alejandro Martinez.

The furiously paced six-round welterweight bout was scored 57-57 on one card, overruled by scores of 59-55 in favor of New York City’s Valdez in their preliminary bout Saturday evening at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Valdez was accompanied to the ring by stablemate and rising super middleweight prospect Edgar Berlanga, both proudly rocking the blue, white and orange colors of the New York Knicks. The six rounds that followed saw Valdez overcome the same type of adversity Berlanga has been presented in recent bouts.

East LA’s Martinez didn’t travel cross country to serve as an opponent, taking the fight Valdez early and often. Valdez—a 38-year-old prospect who has turned his life around after an eight-year prison stint—was productive with his straight right hand but was also rocked several times from straight rights and left hooks from Martinez.

A wild sequence early in round four saw Valdez fortunate to avoid a knockdown call, as two separate left hooks sent him reeling into the ropes. Referee Eddie Claudio seemed prepared to call a knockdown, only for Valdez to pitch forward and wrap up Martinez, causing the two to crash to the canvas.

Time was called, as Martinez (2-2-1, 2KOs) appeared to have twisted his ankle, which nearly caused the fight to head to a No-Contest. Martinez refused to go out that, convincing the doctor and referee that he was able to continue.

Valdez took the lead in the final two rounds, though not by much. Right hand shots by the unbeaten New Yorker were enough to impress at least two of the three judges as he advances to 5-0 (4KOs). The fight marked his first beyond the fourth round.

Mathew Gonzalez didn’t expect a war of attrition for his homecoming.

That is what the Queens native was forced to overcome in a brutal six-round slugfest with West Virginia’s Dakota Linger, which ended in a majority draw. Gonzalez won 58-56 on one card, overruled by matching tallies of 57-57 in a fight where even the local fans felt Linger deserved the nod.

Gonzalez—who hails from the Ridgewood section of Queens—was the busier fighter earlier in the contest, though unable to land anything of consequence. Linger waded through a sea of pushed left hands and hooks, taking the fight to Gonzalez in round and drawing blood from the nose of the Nuyorican.

Linger took the lead in round three, constantly charging forward which forced Gonzalez to spend most of the rest of the fight with his back to the ropes.

Gonzalez (12-1, 8KOs) was repeatedly rocked, including a sequence in the final round. Linger lowered his head into Gonzalez’s chest and unloaded with a series of power shots. Gonzalez responded in kind, not enough to back up Linger (12-5-3, 8KOs) though apparently enough to impress the judges to the point of avoiding his first defeat.

Jahi Tucker responded to the criticism that came with his previous win with an explosive performance at home.

The 18-year-old junior welterweight from the Deer Park section of Long Island, New York made a statement in a second-round stoppage of Paraguay’s Jorge Rodrigo Sosa (3-3, 3KOs). No knockdowns were scored, though Tucker repeatedly rocked Sosa before closing the show with a flurry of punches to prompt referee Shawn Clark to stop the contest at 2:19 of round two.

Tucker was chastised for going through the motion in a four-round points win this past June in Las Vegas. Leading the charge for was former two-division champion and current ESPN boxing analyst Tim Bradley, whom Tucker acknowledged at fight’s end after picking up his third career stoppage. The fight was nearly stopped in the opening round when Sosa was badly rocked by a straight right hand but somehow managed to remain upright.

Tucker (5-0, 3KOs) didn’t waste any punches in round two, driving Sosa into the ropes and unloading with a flurry of power shots. Sosa didn’t go down but was also not throwing back any punches in forcing the referee to intervene.

Kasir Goldston overcame an assortment of fouls to prevail in his first pro fight in his home state of New York. The 18-year-old southpaw from state capital Albany earned a four-round shutout of Marc Misiura (2-2, 1KO). All three judges scored the contest 40-35 in favor of Goldston, who spent each of his previous three pro bouts in Las Vegas before making his way back east.

Misiura did his best to make things as miserable as possible for the unbeaten prospect, though mostly through roughhouse tactics. The 27-year-old from Scranton, Pennsylvania was warned in round two for a low blow and deducted a point for an intentional headbutt in the final minute of the fight.

Goldston quickly recovered from the latter foul to land a straight left hand that left Misiura buzzed but had to settle for a dominant points win in lieu of a knockout finish.

Raymond Cuadrado was forced to work to earn a win just a few subway stops from home.

The first-year junior lightweight prospect from the Ridgewood section of Queens, New York claimed a four-round, unanimous decision victory over Dallas’ Michael Land in a tougher-than-expected battle. Judge Martha Tremblay (40-36), John Porturaj (39-37) and Robert Perez (39-37) all scored in favor of Cuadrado, who had a far tougher challenge than the first-round knockout earned in his pro debut this past April.

Land (1-4-1, 1KO) came to fight, initiating the action early and forcing Cuadrado (2-0, 1KO) to adapt to his aggressive style. The unbeaten Queens native adjusted, creating space between the two often enough to avoid getting clipped with a fight-altering shot.

Headlining the show, former title challenger Jose Zepeda (34-2, 26KOs) of La Puente, California faces Josue Vargas (19-1, 9KOs), a streaking Puerto Rican prospect based out of The Bronx.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for krikya360.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox