UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet unimpressive start to life under recent management with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's punch output seemingly secured him a split decision in a close 10-round bout at the boxing arena.
But the challenger had his moments, connecting with powerful clean blows in a contest where the techniques failed to mesh, with excessive holding disrupting the action.
Two judges judged it 96-94 in favor to the winner, with the third a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my finest showing but what do champions do? They win," Buatsi said in the ring as he was greeted with boos from the audience.
The Londoner returned to winning ways after his first professional defeat - an epic battle with his previous opponent in last winter - to secure a 20th career victory.
Some ringside observers thought Parker, 31, merited the win but the British boxer endured the second setback of his 28-fight career.
Buatsi Claims Victory in Uneventful Affair
Buatsi's progress has plateaued in recent times through management issues and considerable time of inactivity.
Once tipped as the rising talent of British boxing, he now stands trying to realize his potential - maybe in what appears to be a final roll of the dice - under fresh management.
He began cautiously, with the two boxers willing to be aggressive in a cagey initial rounds.
The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at super middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after suffering a hand injury in the contest, was competing in only his second appearance at the higher weight class.
By the fight's midpoint, Parker had stayed in contention, creating difficulties for Buatsi, who worked behind a tight guard to narrowly win the better stanzas.
The spectators' acceptance diminished during constant clinching, with the challenger going down several times during clinches.
Parker ended stronger, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. Nevertheless, former world champion the boxing analyst - working with Dazn - had it particularly wide for Parker, giving Buatsi just a single round.
The victor progresses, but with the caliber of hard hitter Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Bivol leading the category, the road to world glory - judging by this showing - still seems difficult.
Ricky Hatton Memorial Fuels Manchester Derby Fight
In the supporting bout, Arthur overcame Rea by divided decision in a outstanding local rivalry fight to capture the continental title.
The stadium became quiet for a extremely emotional tribute before the fight as a bell ceremony rang in honor of the city's native Hatton, who succumbed aged 46 in recently.
It was the premier televised boxing event in the city since the passing of Hatton. As the final chime ended, the stillness transitioned to a roar of "there's just one Hatton".
The fighting inside the ropes reflected the feeling. The eventual winner was floored by a left hook flush on the jaw in the second round, rising shakily to his footing on the eight count.
But the Manchester United-red equipment of Arthur soon came forward again. On the opposite side, Rea - in competitive blue - was damaged quickly, significant bruising developing under his orbital area as the pair exchanged hard punches.
Rea, twenty-seven, landed power punches but the champion, thirty-four, responded in kind with stinging uppercuts as the intensity rarely dropped over the full distance.
The victor edged the decision with judges scorecards of 114-114, narrow lead and clearer margin, but both fighters were determined and full of heart, all the qualities their idol the legend represented.
