By Keith Idec

ATLANTIC CITY — Jeremy Bryan’s boxing career might’ve come to an end tonight at Bally’s Events Center.

Paterson’s Bryan, 24, suffered a sixth-round technical knockout defeat to unbeaten Ronald Cruz in a scheduled eight-round junior welterweight bout. Bryan (14-2, 7 KOs), a two-time national Golden Gloves champion, lost for the second time in three fights and was taken to an Atlantic City hospital as a precautionary measure.

Bryan returned to Bally’s after a CT scan taken on his head and X-rays taken on his right hand didn’t show any abnormalities.

“After seeing this fight, we just feel as though we’ll sit down as a team and talk to Jeremy,” said Pat Lynch, Bryan’s co-manager. “At this time, we think that maybe it’s best that he takes a break, finds himself and if he decides he doesn’t want to do this anymore, we’ll support him 100 percent.”

Bryan added that he needs to take a long break from boxing before considering whether to continue a pro career he began in November 2007 after reaching the semifinals of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in August 2007 in Houston. Still, there were troublesome signs tonight that Bryan might be best served ending his pro career and becoming a trainer.

Just as he was doing against Vincent Arroyo (10-1, 7 KOs) before enduring a controversial eighth-round knockout defeat April 17 at Boardwalk Hall, Bryan was out-boxing the rugged, determined Cruz rather easily through the first four rounds of their fight. In the fifth round, though, Cruz caught up to Bryan by battering his body.

A fast-fading Bryan took a knee after a left hook stung him in the fifth round, but rose to his feet quickly. The Eastside High School alum tried his best to survive the trouble by holding and moving around the ring, and eventually caught a brief break because his mouthpiece was dislodged, onto the canvas.

Cruz, of Bethlehem, Pa., wisely pounced on Bryan as soon as he had his mouthpiece cleaned off and re-inserted, dropping Bryan with a straight right hand Bryan didn’t expect as referee Brian O’Melia told them to resume the action. Bryan got up again, though, and survived the fifth round.

Cruz, 24, promptly jumped on him once the sixth round started, however, and sent Bryan to a knee again with a left hook. Bryan got right to his feet again, but told O’Melia he didn’t want to continue.

“My game plan was to work on the body and make him slow down,” said Cruz (10-0, 7 KOs), who took up boxing just 3½ years ago. “My game plan was to wear him down and take him out at the end. I was wearing him down and it all worked out. It was a good win for us. [All credit] goes to the corner. They put this guy in front of me because they thought I was going to win.”

Passaic’s Glen Tapia didn’t score the spectacular knockout he hoped to produce tonight following a month of working with Manny Pacquiao in the Philippines.

He did, however, learn a lot about digging deep to win a fight that was tougher than he anticipated.

Tapia, 20, was busier, more accurate and stronger during much of his six-round junior middleweight match against San Antonio journeyman Quinton Whitaker at Bally’s Events Center. More impressive, he fought the final three rounds with a fractured jaw and chipped tooth, injuries that left him at an Atlantic City hospital.

The 30-year-old Whitaker (7-8, 5 KOs) had been stopped five times prior to boxing Tapia (8-0, 5 KOs), but he withstood each of Tapia’s power shots and landed some hard shots of his own.

“I could say I know what it’s like to be in a war,” Tapia said. “This is my eighth fight and I already know what it’s like to be in a war, a hard fight, like an Arturo Gatti and Ward fight.”

Despite spending a month serving as Pacquiao’s primary sparring partner for Filipino southpaw’s Nov. 13 junior middleweight title fight against Antonio Margarito at Cowboys Stadium, Tapia didn’t feel as though he was in great condition because he didn’t receive the personal attention his head trainer he would’ve received had he trained at the Passaic PAL boxing gym.

“I got tired a little bit, because I wasn’t in the greatest shape,” Tapia said. “I’m not making excuses. I’m going to be back in the gym to work hard and in my next fight give the fans a show.”

Jose Peralta did exactly what he said he would do. Peralta (4-1, 2 KOs), a Clifton resident raised in Puerto Rico, overcame some second-round trouble to upset favored former New York Golden Gloves champion Christian Martinez (4-1, 4 KOs) in their four-round junior welterweight bout tonight at Bally’s Events Center.

Peralta literally tackled Martinez after Martinez hurt him with a right hand landed at close quarters in the second round. He didn’t have a point deducted for the flagrant foul, and came back to out-box Martinez.

Had there been a point deduction for his tackle, Peralta would’ve been forced to settle for a majority draw because he won by one point on two of the three judges’ scorecards (57-56, 57-56, 58-54).

Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com.