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 Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a close ten-round bout at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger found success, delivering effective clean blows in a fight where the approaches failed to mesh, with constant grabbing disrupting the contest.
The officials scored it 96-94 to the winner, with the third a even score.
"It wasn't my greatest performance but how do champions respond? They prevail," the victor commented in the ringside as he was greeted with boos from the audience.
The British fighter returned to winning ways after his first professional defeat - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in last winter - to secure a twentieth professional win.
Various analysts felt Parker, thirty-one, deserved the decision but the British boxer experienced the second loss of his 28-match career.
The Champion Earns Triumph in Slow Match
Buatsi's progress has plateaued in the past few years through management issues and long spells of lack of fights.
Previously predicted as the future of the British fight scene, he now stands trying to realize his potential - maybe in what feels like a last chance - under new promotional backing.
He began cautiously, with the two boxers prepared to take risks in a calculated initial rounds.
The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in 2022 after damaging his hand mid-fight, was competing in only his second appearance at the higher weight class.
By the middle rounds, the underdog had kept it close, creating difficulties for the favorite, who worked behind a tight guard to narrowly win the cleaner rounds.
The spectators' acceptance wore thin during regular grabbing, with Parker falling to the floor various instances during close exchanges.
Parker closed well, but several stanzas were hard to judge. However, former world champion Carl Frampton - working with the broadcast network - had it significantly in favor for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just a single round.
The victor moves on, but with the caliber of power puncher David Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Bivol ruling the division, the road to world glory - on this evidence - still appears challenging.
Ricky Hatton Memorial Motivates All-Manchester Battle
In the co-main event, Arthur beat Bradley Rea by split-decision in a terrific local rivalry fight to capture the European light-heavyweight belt.
The venue fell silent for a extremely emotional memorial ahead of the contest as ten bells sounded in remembrance of local hero Ricky Hatton, who passed away 46 years old in recently.
It was the first major televised match card in the urban center since Hatton's death. As the final chime faded, the quiet transitioned to a roar of "only one Hatton".
The fighting during the bout matched the sentiment. The eventual winner was floored by a left hook squarely on the face in the initial stage, rising shakily to his position on the eight count.
But the red-colored shorts of the fighter soon came forward again. Across the ring, the opponent - in opposing blue - was damaged early, heavy swelling developing under his eye as the duo exchanged punishing blows.
Rea, 27, delivered effective strikes but the champion, 34, matched the intensity with effective uppercuts as the pace rarely dropped over the full distance.
The victor narrowly won the result with official scores of draw, close margin and wider gap, but each competitor were relentless and full of heart, all the qualities their idol the legend stood for.
