UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming debut to his career under fresh promotional backing with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's work rate appeared to earn him a judges' verdict in a competitive 10-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger had his moments, landing some telling clean blows in a contest where the approaches never quite clicked, with constant grabbing spoiling the action.
The scoring judges judged it 96-94 to the winner, with the final judge a 95-95.
"It wasn't my finest display but how do champions respond? They succeed," Buatsi said in the ringside as he was greeted with disapproval from the crowd.
The British fighter returned to winning ways after his maiden career setback - an epic battle with his previous opponent in last winter - to claim a twentieth professional win.
Various analysts thought Parker, 31, merited the win but the Derbyshire fighter suffered the second defeat of his 28-bout career.
Buatsi Earns Win in Slow Affair
His career development has slowed in recent years through management issues and extended periods of inactivity.
Previously predicted as the next star of UK boxing, he now finds himself trying to achieve expectations - perhaps in what appears to be a last chance - under fresh management.
He began cautiously, with neither fighter prepared to take risks in a cagey opening few rounds.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in 2022 after suffering a hand injury in the contest, was competing in only his second appearance at light-heavyweight.
By the halfway stage, Parker had kept it close, making life awkward for the favorite, who worked behind a solid defense to edge the better rounds.
The spectators' acceptance decreased during constant clinching, with Parker going down various instances during clinches.
Parker finished the stronger, but multiple periods were difficult to score. However, former world champion Carl Frampton - commentating on the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just one round.
Buatsi moves on, but with the caliber of power puncher David Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Bivol leading the category, the path to championship success - based on this performance - still looks steep.
Hatton Homage Motivates All-Manchester Contest
In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by split-decision in a excellent local rivalry fight to secure the European light heavyweight title.
The venue fell silent for a extremely emotional tribute before the fight as a bell ceremony sounded in memory of local hero Hatton, who passed away 46 years old in recently.
It was the premier televised fight night in the urban center since Hatton's death. As the last bell faded, the stillness became a shout of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The competition inside the ropes reflected the emotion. The eventual winner was knocked down by a significant blow squarely on the jaw in the early round, getting up unsteadily to his feet on the referee's count.
But the red-colored shorts of Arthur soon advanced again. From the other corner, Rea - in competitive blue - was injured quickly, significant bruising forming under his orbital area as the duo landed punishing blows.
The challenger, twenty-seven, landed power punches but Arthur, 34, responded in kind with effective uppercuts as the pace hardly diminished over the full distance.
The victor edged the result with scoring tallies of 114-114, close margin and clearer margin, but the two athletes were persistent and courageous, exactly what their hero Hatton embodied.
