UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet underwhelming debut to his career under fresh promotional backing with a decision win over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level appeared to earn him a split decision in a close 10-round fight at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger had his moments, connecting with powerful individual punches in a fight where the approaches didn't complement each other, with frequent clinching marring the action.
Two judges judged it 96-94 for to the winner, with the third a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my best performance but what defines champions? They succeed," Buatsi stated in the ring as he was met by boos from the crowd.
The British fighter got back to winning after his first professional defeat - an memorable fight with his previous opponent in last winter - to secure a twentieth professional win.
Some ringside observers felt the challenger, thirty-one, merited the win but the Derbyshire fighter endured the second defeat of his 28-match professional journey.
The Champion Earns Win in Slow Affair
Buatsi's progress has plateaued in the past few years through contract problems and extended periods of inactivity.
Once tipped as the next star of the British fight scene, he now stands trying to fulfil that early promise - perhaps in what feels like a last chance - under recent support.
He began cautiously, with both competitors willing to take risks in a cagey early stages.
The challenger, whose single earlier setback came at super middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after breaking his hand mid-fight, was participating in his second appearance at the higher weight class.
By the fight's midpoint, Parker had kept it close, causing problems for the favorite, who worked behind a tight guard to narrowly win the more effective periods.
The crowd's patience decreased amid frequent holding, with the challenger slipping to the canvas various instances during grappling.
Parker closed well, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. Although, ex-champion Carl Frampton - working with Dazn - had it particularly wide for Parker, giving Buatsi just only one stanza.
Buatsi progresses, but with the caliber of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the journey to titles - on this evidence - still seems difficult.
Hatton Tribute Motivates All-Manchester Fight
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur defeated Rea by split-decision in a excellent Manchester vs Manchester battle to secure the European light heavyweight belt.
The venue grew hushed for a deeply poignant homage ahead of the contest as a bell ceremony rang in honor of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who passed away at age 46 in recently.
It was the initial significant broadcast match card in the city since Hatton's death. As the final chime ended, the silence transitioned to a chant of "there's just one Hatton".
The fighting during the bout equaled the feeling. The eventual winner was knocked down by a left hook squarely on the jaw in the initial stage, getting up unsteadily to his feet on the count of eight.
But the Manchester United-red equipment of the fighter soon came forward again. From the other corner, the opponent - in competitive blue - was injured soon, heavy swelling appearing under his face as the fighters landed hard punches.
The challenger, twenty-seven, landed power punches but Arthur, thirty-four, matched the intensity with effective uppercuts as the pace rarely dropped over the full distance.
Arthur barely secured the decision with official scores of draw, 115-113 and 115-112, but each competitor were relentless and brave, everything their hero Hatton embodied.
