Paul Kroll was taken into deep waters but managed to swim his way to an unlikely victory.

The unbeaten Philadelphia-bred prospect showed poise and patience in outpointing Lucas Santamaria over 10 rounds Saturday evening at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

Judges Dr. Lou Moret and Rudy Barragan saw a very different fight than everyone else tuning in, each scoring the contest an absurdly wide 99-91 for Kroll. Judge Zachary Young turned in a far more reasonable tally of 96-94 in favor of Kroll, who made his West Coast debut.

Kroll controlled the action in the opening round, working his jab and using constant movement to disallow Santamaria an opportunity to plant his feet and let his hands go.

Santamaria made that adjustment in round two, reaping dividends as he briefly rocked Kroll with a left hand to the body. The sequence was preceded by a right hand and left hook upstairs for the rangy switch hitter. Kroll was momentarily winded but regained his composure and was able to box his way out of the balance of the round.

Kroll was able to slow down the action in rounds three and four, working to his benefit and to the detriment of Santamaria who wanted to force a fight rather than a boxing match. Kroll was able to time Santamaria’s straight left with counter right hands.

Santamaria picked up the pace in round five, not always effective on the attack but able to rediscover his rhythm. Kroll did his best to keep the fight at a measured pace but was also forced to contend with a developing mouse under his right eye.

Kroll switched to southpaw to start round six, showing a steady right jab. Santamaria countered the approach by fighting out of a conventional stance, but unable to find his offense. Kroll enjoyed the best moment of the frame, connecting with a right hook which caught the attention of his taller, rangier foe.

Round seven marked the deepest point Kroll has seen to date as a pro. Santamaria has been eight or more rounds in each of his three previous starts, but did little to test the unknown stamina of his less experienced foe. Santamaria worked his way inside, connecting with a right hook though leaving himself open for a clean counter right from Kroll.

The chess match continued in rounds eight and nine, the pace working to the benefit of Kroll who patiently found a home for his right hand. Santamaria continued to come forward but disallowed the opportunity to let his hands go at key moment in a competitive affair.

Santamaria increased his workrate at the right time, even if the ridiculous scoring had long taken the fight off the table by that point. The East LA native outpunched and outlanded Kroll in the 10th and final round with the fight seemingly on the table. Kroll kept the fight in center ring, circling to Santamaria’s right but no longer disrupting his rhythm. Time was called with barely 0:30 left in the fight as Santamaria absorbed an inadvertent low blow, with neither fighter establishing dominance for the balance of the fight.

Compubox had Santamaria enjoying statistical advantages across the board, landing 81-of-435 for a 19% connect rate, with Kroll landing 65-of-401 (16%). It clearly didn’t have any bearing on the outcome, as Santamaria’s hopes of a second straight upset were foiled. Less than two months after edging Mykal Fox in this very venue on this network, he snaps a 10-fight unbeaten streak in falling to 11-2-1 (9KOs).

Kroll remains to the City of Brotherly Love with his perfect record still intact, improving to 8-0 (6KOs).

The bout served as the chief support to a featherweight clash between unbeaten contender Mark Magsayo and Mexico’s Rigoberto Hermosillo.

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