British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet underwhelming start to his career under recent management with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate likely gained him a majority decision in a tight ten-round bout at the Manchester venue.
But the challenger had his moments, delivering effective single shots in a match where the styles failed to mesh, with frequent clinching disrupting the contest.
The scoring judges scored it 96-94 to the winner, with the final judge a 95-95.
"It wasn't my finest showing but how do champions respond? They prevail," the victor stated in the ring as he was greeted with negative reactions from the audience.
The British fighter got back to winning after his initial pro loss - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a 20th pro success.
Some ringside observers thought the challenger, thirty-one, deserved the win but the Derbyshire fighter endured the second loss of his 28-fight career.
Buatsi Secures Triumph in Dull Affair
Buatsi's progress has slowed in the past few years through management issues and long spells of lack of fights.
Earlier forecast as the next star of British boxing, he now finds himself trying to fulfil that early promise - perhaps in what seems like a final roll of the dice - under fresh management.
He opened tentatively, with both competitors prepared to overcommit in a tentative opening few rounds.
Parker, whose single earlier setback came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after damaging his hand in the contest, was participating in his second bout at the higher weight class.
By the halfway stage, the underdog had made it competitive, making life awkward for the favorite, who worked behind a protective stance to edge the cleaner rounds.
The spectators' acceptance decreased during regular grabbing, with Parker slipping to the canvas various instances during grappling.
Parker ended stronger, but many rounds were hard to judge. Nevertheless, former world champion Carl Frampton - working with Dazn - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, awarding Buatsi just one round.
The victor moves on, but with the likes of hard hitter Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol leading the category, the journey to titles - based on this performance - still looks steep.
Ricky Hatton Memorial Motivates Local Rivalry Fight
In the supporting bout, Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by close verdict in a terrific Manchester vs Manchester contest to secure the continental championship.
The stadium fell silent for a profoundly moving homage ahead of the contest as ten bells tolled in honor of the city's native Ricky Hatton, who died aged 46 in recently.
It was the first major televised match card in the city since Hatton's passing. As the concluding sound ended, the silence became a shout of "only one Ricky Hatton".
The competition during the bout reflected the emotion. Arthur was knocked down by a left hook flush on the face in the second round, rising shakily to his footing on the referee's count.
But the red-colored equipment of the fighter soon advanced again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in competitive blue - was injured quickly, heavy swelling forming under his face as the duo landed powerful shots.
Rea, twenty-seven, landed power punches but Arthur, 34, fought fire with fire with powerful upward punches as the intensity seldom decreased over the full distance.
Arthur edged the verdict with judges scorecards of 114-114, 115-113 and wider gap, but both fighters were relentless and brave, all the qualities their idol Hatton stood for.
