UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming start to his career under fresh promotional backing with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate seemingly secured him a majority decision in a close ten-round bout at the Manchester venue.
But the challenger landed significant shots, landing some telling individual punches in a contest where the styles failed to mesh, with constant grabbing spoiling the action.
The scoring judges scored it 96-94 for to the winner, with the final judge a even score.
"It wasn't my best display but how do champions respond? They win," Buatsi stated in the ringside as he was met by disapproval from the audience.
The British fighter returned to winning ways after his initial pro loss - an memorable fight with his previous opponent in February - to earn a 20th pro success.
Various analysts felt the challenger, 31, deserved the victory but the British boxer experienced the second setback of his 28-match professional journey.
Buatsi Claims Victory in Slow Match
Buatsi's progress has slowed in the past few years through promotional disputes and considerable time of inactivity.
Previously predicted as the next star of UK boxing, he now is positioned trying to achieve expectations - perhaps in what appears to be a final roll of the dice - under new promotional backing.
He opened tentatively, with neither fighter prepared to overcommit in a calculated early stages.
Parker, whose single earlier setback came at the lower weight class against John Ryder in 2022 after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was participating in his second bout at light-heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had kept it close, making life awkward for the favorite, who worked behind a solid defense to narrowly win the better periods.
The crowd's patience diminished amid frequent holding, with Parker going down several times during clinches.
Parker finished the stronger, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. Although, previous titleholder Carl Frampton - providing analysis for Dazn - had it significantly in favor for the challenger, awarding Buatsi just a single round.
The victor moves on, but with the likes of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - on this evidence - still seems difficult.
Hatton Tribute Fuels Manchester Derby Battle
In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by close verdict in a excellent Manchester vs Manchester battle to win the continental title.
The stadium grew hushed for a extremely emotional memorial before the fight as ten bells rang in memory of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who passed away at age 46 in September.
It was the initial significant broadcast boxing event in the urban center since the passing of Hatton. As the final chime disappeared, the quiet gave way to a shout of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".
The fighting inside the ropes reflected the emotion. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a powerful punch squarely on the jaw in the early round, standing uncertainly to his position on the referee's count.
But the traditional red equipment of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. Across the ring, Rea - in competitive blue - was injured soon, significant bruising forming under his eye as the pair landed hard punches.
The challenger, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but the champion, 34, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the pace seldom decreased over the full distance.
Arthur narrowly won the decision with scoring tallies of draw, narrow lead and wider gap, but the two athletes were persistent and brave, exactly what their hero the legend stood for.
