British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet underwhelming debut to life under recent management with a decision win over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic bronze medallist's work rate likely gained him a majority decision in a competitive ten-round bout at the Manchester venue.
But Parker landed significant shots, connecting with powerful single shots in a match where the styles never quite clicked, with constant grabbing spoiling the action.
The officials scored it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the final judge a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my finest showing but how do champions respond? They win," Buatsi said in the ringside as he was greeted with negative reactions from the audience.
The Londoner returned to winning ways after his first professional defeat - an memorable fight with his previous opponent in February - to earn a twentieth professional win.
Various analysts thought the challenger, 31, should have been awarded the decision but the contender suffered the second loss of his 28-fight professional journey.
The Champion Secures Victory in Dull Encounter
The fighter's advancement has plateaued in the past few years through promotional disputes and extended periods of inactivity.
Once tipped as the next star of the British fight scene, he now is positioned trying to fulfil that early promise - perhaps in what appears to be a last chance - under fresh management.
He opened tentatively, with the two boxers willing to overcommit in a calculated initial rounds.
The challenger, whose sole prior loss came at super middleweight against his former opponent in two years ago after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was competing in only his second fight at light heavyweight.
By the halfway stage, the underdog had stayed in contention, causing problems for the favorite, who worked behind a protective stance to edge the more effective periods.
The audience's tolerance diminished during frequent holding, with Parker going down several times during clinches.
The underdog ended stronger, but several stanzas were difficult to score. Although, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - working with Dazn - had it significantly in favor for the challenger, giving Buatsi just only one stanza.
The victor moves on, but with the caliber of power puncher Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - judging by this showing - still looks steep.
Ricky Hatton Tribute Fuels All-Manchester Battle
In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur defeated Rea by divided decision in a terrific all-Manchester fight to win the European light-heavyweight belt.
The venue grew hushed for a profoundly moving tribute before the fight as 10 bells tolled in honor of Manchester's own Hatton, who succumbed aged 46 in recently.
It was the premier televised boxing event in the urban center since Hatton's passing. As the concluding sound disappeared, the quiet gave way to a roar of "there's just one Hatton".
The competition during the bout reflected the sentiment. The eventual winner was knocked down by a significant blow directly to the face in the initial stage, getting up unsteadily to his position on the count of eight.
But the Manchester United-red equipment of Arthur soon advanced again. Across the ring, the opponent - in rival City blue - was marked up early, significant bruising forming under his face as the fighters landed powerful shots.
The challenger, 27, delivered effective strikes but the champion, thirty-four, responded in kind with powerful upward punches as the action rarely dropped over the full distance.
The victor edged the verdict with scoring tallies of even score, close margin and wider gap, but both fighters were persistent and full of heart, everything their idol Hatton represented.
