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By: Sean Crose
Paul Kroll, a rising welterweight with a 7-0 record, faced off Saturday night against the 11-1-1 Lucas Santamaria. The first round was a relatively close affair. Kroll was rattled by a gut shot in the second, but emerged from the shaky moment seemingly no worse for wear to fight on in the third. The fourth round saw Kroll perhaps being a bit less aggressive than he should. Kroll stalked his man in the fifth.
By the sixth it appeared that Kroll was the more active of the two fighters. Neither man seemed to be landing particularly well in the seventh. Santamaria threw a lot and missed a lot in the eighth. The last few seconds of the round, however, were quite exciting, with Santamaria placing Kroll up against the ropes. The ninth saw Kroll landing a bit. The final round was close with both men trying to land effectively.
The judges ruled it for Kroll to by scores of 96-94, 99-91, and 99-91.
