NEW YORK – Victor Santillan did enough to remain undefeated Saturday night.

Santillan staggered Carlos Caraballo in the fourth round and won their eight-round battle between Puerto Rican southpaws by unanimous decision on the Edgar Berlanga-Alexis Angulo undercard at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater. Santillan, of Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, won by scores of 78-74, 78-74 and 77-75.

He improved to 12-0 before a predominantly Puerto Rican crowd the night before the 65th annual National Puerto Rican Day parade in Manhattan.

Caraballo (15-2, 14 KOs), of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico, lost for the second time in his past three fights.

A left hand by Caraballo rocked Santillan with about 45 seconds remaining in the seventh round. He couldn’t follow up, however, and Santillan recovered before the bell sounded to send them to the eighth and final round.

Santillan caught Caraballo with a left hand about 1:10 into the fourth round. Caraballo stumbled backward after taking that shot, but he didn’t go down.

Two bouts before Santillan’s win, Armani Almestica’s knockout streak almost ended.

The confident Puerto Rican southpaw got the stoppage he sought, though, with barely a minute remaining in his six-round lightweight fight with Eliseo Villalobos. Referee Shada Murdaugh stepped between them after Almestica snapped back Villalobos’ head with a left hand.

Villalobos didn’t appear hurt by that shot, but Murdaugh determined that the 22-year-old boxer had absorbed enough punishment. The official time of the stoppage was 1:47 of the sixth round.

The 20-year-old Almestica improved to 6-0 and recorded his sixth knockout. Villalobos (2-3, 1 KO), of Simi Valley, California, lost inside the distance for the first time in five professional fights.

In the round before the stoppage, Almestica wobbled Villalobos’ legs with a straight left that landed with just over 1:20 to go in the fifth round.

Almestica’s right hook turned Villalobos’ head around with about 50 seconds to go in the fourth round. Almestica landed several other flush punches during the fourth round, but Villalobos took those punches well.

A right uppercut by Almestica connected with just under 1:20 on the clock in the third round.

After suffering a knockdown late in the first round Villalobos drilled Almestica with a right hand that got his attention with just under 1:40 on the clock in the second round. The second round was much more competitive than the opening round.

Almestica’s overhand left sent Villalobos to the seat of his trunks with 35 seconds to go in the first round. Villalobos got up quickly and although he took another flush left from Almestica, he made it to the bell to end the first round.

In the previous fight, Orlando Gonzalez responded to his first defeat in impressive fashion.

Gonzalez basically battered Pablo Cruz for most of their junior lightweight bout, before referee Danny Schiavone eventually spared Cruz more punishment. Schiavone stopped their fight exactly one minute into the fifth round because Gonzalez landed numerous flush punches on Cruz, who was backed into a neutral corner.

Houston’s Cruz (22-5-1, 6 KOs) never went down, but he took numerous clean shots in four-plus rounds of action. Gonzalez (18-1, 11 KOs), a southpaw from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, lost to two-time Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez by unanimous decision in his previous fight, a 10-rounder October 9 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

In the round before Gonzalez finished off Cruz, a right hook by Gonzalez rocked Cruz with just under a minute remaining in the fourth round. Gonzalez clocked Cruz with two more right hooks soon thereafter and knocked Cruz into the ropes.

Gonzalez’s left to the side of Cruz’s head knocked him backward with just over 1:40 to go in the third round.

An overhand left by Gonzalez buckled Cruz’s legs with just under 20 seconds on the clock in the second round. Gonzalez followed Cruz into Cruz’s corner and blasted him with a right hook, but he couldn’t finish Cruz before the bell sounded to end the second round.

Gonzalez affected Cruz with a left hand less than 30 seconds into their fight. He connected with several additional hard shots during a one-sided first round.

With Miguel Cotto seated ringside, another fighter from Caguas, Puerto Rico remained unbeaten in the bout before Gonzalez stopped Cruz.

Omar Rosario countered Julio Rosa’s aggression by boxing well off his back foot for most of their six-round junior welterweight bout. The 24-year-old Rosario won a unanimous decision – all six rounds on two scorecards (60-54, 60-54) and five rounds on the other card (59-55).

The 29-year-old Rosa, of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, lost for the first time as a pro (4-1, 1 KO).

Omar Rosario (6-0, 2 KOs), Caguas, Puerto Rico, 140.6 pounds vs. Julio Rosa (4-0, 1 KO), Bayamon, Puerto Rico, 139.6 pounds, 6 rounds, junior welterweights.

Rosario stopped Sosa in his tracks with a left hook early in the sixth round. Rosario boxed well off his back foot for most of that final round and caught Sosa with another left hook just before the sixth round ended.

Sosa countered Rosario with a right hand as Rosario threw a right-left combination early in the fifth round. Rosario landed a straight right just after the midway mark of the fifth round.

A short left by Sosa on the inside made Rosario hold him with about 1:45 to go in the fourth round. Rosario landed a right hand with about 10 seconds to go in the fourth round.

A cut opened beneath Rosario’s right eye in the third round.

Sosa landed a left hook with just under 1:45 on the clock in the second round. Rosario backed up Sosa with a right hand that connected with a minute left on the clock in the second round.

Rosario used his jab well throughout the first round. He also was the aggressor during those opening three minutes and landed a right hand that moved Sosa backward with just under a minute to go in the first round.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.