British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet underwhelming start to life under fresh promotional backing with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic bronze medallist's work rate seemingly secured him a split decision in a close ten-round bout at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger landed significant shots, delivering effective clean blows in a fight where the techniques never quite clicked, with excessive holding marring the action.
The scoring judges judged it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the remaining official a 95-95.
"It wasn't my finest display but what defines champions? They succeed," the victor said in the ringside as he was faced disapproval from the audience.
The Londoner bounced back after his initial pro loss - an epic battle with his previous opponent in last winter - to claim a twentieth professional win.
Various analysts believed Parker, thirty-one, merited the victory but the British boxer endured the second setback of his 28-fight professional journey.
Buatsi Claims Triumph in Uneventful Match
Buatsi's progress has stalled in recent years through promotional disputes and considerable time of inactivity.
Previously predicted as the future of the British fight scene, he now finds himself trying to achieve expectations - perhaps in what appears to be a final roll of the dice - under recent support.
He started carefully, with neither fighter prepared to overcommit in a tentative early stages.
Parker, whose only previous defeat came at super middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after damaging his hand during the bout, was making just his second bout at light heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, the underdog had made it competitive, making life awkward for Buatsi, who operated with a protective stance to barely take the better rounds.
The spectators' acceptance wore thin because of frequent holding, with Parker falling to the floor several times during close exchanges.
Parker finished the stronger, but several stanzas were hard to judge. Nevertheless, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - commentating on the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just only one stanza.
The victor moves on, but with the presence of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol leading the category, the path to championship success - judging by this showing - still seems difficult.
Ricky Hatton Tribute Motivates Manchester Derby Contest
In the secondary fight, Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by split-decision in a excellent local rivalry fight to capture the European light-heavyweight belt.
The arena fell silent for a profoundly moving memorial before the fight as a bell ceremony rang in honor of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who passed away at age 46 in September.
It was the premier televised fight night in the location since Hatton's passing. As the last bell ended, the quiet transitioned to a shout of "only one Ricky Hatton".
The action during the bout equaled the sentiment. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a powerful punch squarely on the chin in the initial stage, getting up unsteadily to his position on the count of eight.
But the red-colored attire of the fighter soon came forward again. On the opposite side, Rea - in opposing blue - was damaged soon, significant bruising appearing under his eye as the fighters landed punishing blows.
The challenger, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but Arthur, thirty-four, matched the intensity with stinging uppercuts as the action hardly diminished over twelve rounds.
The victor barely secured the verdict with official scores of 114-114, close margin and 115-112, but the two athletes were determined and brave, everything their idol the legend embodied.
