For three rounds, Anthony Sodano and David DiBenedetto weren't exactly teammates for Gladiator Boxing. Sodano, 14, of the Manahawkin section of Stafford, and DiBenedetto, 16, of the Forked River section of Lacey, faced each other in the ring to kick off an afternoon of amateur boxing at the Gladiator Boxing gym in Forked River. By the end of the fight, both youngsters had little punching power left after going at each other non-stop. Sodano was declared the winner.

"They were very evenly matched, very close," said Shawn Darling, who runs Gladiator Boxing and put together the eight-match boxing show. "I'm very proud of both of them. They're both sub-novice. Even though they're from the same team, they went all-out. "Anthony's been with me longer, about two years, Dave about six months. He's actually a little older and heavier, and Anthony beat the older guy. He's been with me longer, so it showed. They'll probably have a rematch."

Another boxer from Darling's Team Gladiator came away with an impressive victory.

Rocco Salimbene, 13, of Waretown, was named Boxer of the Night after scoring a second-round technical knockout over Antonio Monroe of Pleasantville. Salimbene, in just his third fight, got his fourth standing-8 count of Monroe 50 seconds into the second round to get the TKO.

"It felt really good," Salimbene said. "I got him with a few hooks. I was surprised, I was so happy, I was jumping around."

"That was phenomenal," Darling said. "Rocco's in the gym all the time, he volunteers, he works with the young kids. He's in the gym with me five days a week, as much as possible. I'm really proud of him. All his hard work paid off."

Following the opening bout between Sodano and DiBenedetto, Don Brennan, 26, of Toms River , squared off against Duchant Johnson, 21, of Rahway . Brennan, who works as a mason, boxes out of the Brick Police Athletic League, while Johnson, who went to high school at Lakewood and Monsignor Donovan high schools, is a student at Seton Hall University and fights for the New Brunswick Boxing Club. Using a series a quick combinations, Johnson, who weighed in at 160, outlasted Brennan (157) over three rounds to get the win.

"I was following up my right hand with the hook, and basically working combinations and using my speed and my height," Johnson said. "I think the speed was a little bit too much for him to deal with, so that worked out. He's a good fighter, a strong guy in the clench, so I was trying to keep him on the outside."

A sports management major, Johnson expects to graduate by the end of the year. He hopes to turn professional next year and fight as a welterweight.

"I'll be able to manage myself when I turn pro hopefully," Johnson said.

Brennan, too, aspires to turn professional as well. His PAL coach, Rahn Carter of Barnegat, is slowly bringing along Brennan, who started boxing three years ago after watching the Arturo Gatti-Micky Ward fights.

"I love it," Brennan said. "Ain't nothing better in the world. The toughest thing I ever did."

"My goal is to try and get him 25 amateur fights," Carter said. "He has a very professional style. He's a very dedicated guy. He's on a mission to really complete a good amateur career before turning pro."

Another of Carter's boxers, Jorge Puerto, came away with a victory. Puerto, 20, of Toms River , used his aggressive style to beat Dave Haggiag, 18, of Sayreville , in three rounds.

"It didn't go as good as I thought it was going to be, but I'm glad that I still won," Puerto said. "I was expecting the fight was going to be a lot easier, possibly like a TKO or something. He's around my weight (145), and I've fought dudes that were heavier than me by a couple pounds and I did a lot better against them and I beat them easier than this guy. This guy has a lot of heart. He actually did catch me with a couple of good hits that I really felt. I was surprised."

"I've had Jorge for a year, and he's already 4-1, so he's coming along," Carter said. "When I first had him, he weighed 160 pounds and being short, that's not good, so he learned how to discipline himself with his weight and brought it down to the 40s. I think he'll be good because he's naturally strong."

Darling said Gladiator Boxing will host the first of the Diamond Gloves competition on Oct. 6.

(PHOTOS: MIKE MCLAUGHLIN/SPECIAL TO THE PRESS)
Above, David DiBenedetto (left), 16, of the Forked River section of Lacey, takes a blow to the chin from teammate Anthony Sodano, 14, during an afternoon of boxing at the Gladiator Boxing gym in Forked River . Below, DiBenedetto (left) and Sodano appear to hit each other at the same time during the bout.

David DiBenedetto (left) and Gladiator Boxing teammate Anthony Sodano traded punches during a "friendly" fight at the Gladiator Boxng gym in the Forked River section of Lacey.