British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet underwhelming beginning to his career under recent management with a decision win over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's work rate likely gained him a majority decision in a close 10-round contest at the Manchester venue.
But Parker had his moments, landing some telling single shots in a contest where the styles didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing disrupting the action.
Two judges had it 96-94 to the winner, with the remaining official a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my finest showing but what do champions do? They win," Buatsi stated in the ring as he was greeted with negative reactions from the spectators.
The British fighter returned to winning ways after his maiden career setback - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in last winter - to claim a twentieth professional win.
Some ringside observers thought Parker, thirty-one, merited the victory but the Derbyshire fighter suffered the second defeat of his 28-match career.
Buatsi Earns Victory in Dull Encounter
His career development has stalled in recent years through management issues and considerable time of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the future of British boxing, he now stands trying to fulfil that early promise - maybe in what seems like a ultimate opportunity - under new promotional backing.
He started carefully, with the two boxers prepared to be aggressive in a calculated opening few rounds.
The challenger, whose sole prior loss came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after breaking his hand during the bout, was competing in only his second bout at light-heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, Parker had stayed in contention, creating difficulties for Buatsi, who utilized a tight guard to barely take the better stanzas.
The crowd's patience decreased because of frequent holding, with Parker going down various instances during grappling.
The underdog closed well, but multiple periods were difficult to score. Nevertheless, former world champion Carl Frampton - working with the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for the challenger, awarding Buatsi just one round.
The victor moves on, but with the presence of power puncher Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the path to championship success - on this evidence - still looks steep.
Hatton Tribute Motivates Manchester Derby Fight
In the co-main event, Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by split-decision in a outstanding all-Manchester fight to capture the European light heavyweight belt.
The venue became quiet for a extremely emotional tribute ahead of the contest as ten bells sounded in memory of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who died aged 46 in last month.
It was the first major televised boxing event in the location since the passing of Hatton. As the concluding sound ended, the silence gave way to a shout of "only one Hatton".
The action inside the ropes matched the sentiment. The eventual winner was floored by a powerful punch squarely on the jaw in the initial stage, standing uncertainly to his feet on the eight count.
But the traditional red attire of the fighter soon advanced again. Across the ring, Rea - in rival City blue - was injured soon, noticeable damage developing under his orbital area as the pair traded punishing blows.
Rea, 27, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, 34, responded in kind with stinging uppercuts as the pace rarely dropped over twelve rounds.
The victor barely secured the result with scoring tallies of draw, narrow lead and 115-112, but both fighters were relentless and courageous, all the qualities their inspiration Hatton embodied.
