British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet disappointing debut to life under new promoters with a decision win over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate likely gained him a judges' verdict in a close ten-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger had his moments, connecting with powerful single shots in a contest where the approaches didn't complement each other, with excessive holding disrupting the action.
The scoring judges had it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the third a 95-95.
"It wasn't my best performance but what defines champions? They succeed," Buatsi stated in the ringside as he was greeted with negative reactions from the spectators.
The Londoner returned to winning ways after his maiden career setback - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in February - to claim a 20th pro success.
Some ringside observers felt the challenger, 31, should have been awarded the victory but the British boxer suffered the second defeat of his 28-fight professional journey.
Buatsi Claims Win in Slow Match
His career development has plateaued in recent years through contract problems and long spells of inactivity.
Once tipped as the future of UK boxing, he now stands trying to fulfil that early promise - perhaps in what feels like a last chance - under fresh management.
He started carefully, with both competitors prepared to take risks in a calculated initial rounds.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in 2022 after damaging his hand mid-fight, was participating in his second appearance at light-heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, the underdog had stayed in contention, causing problems for the favorite, who utilized a tight guard to barely take the more effective rounds.
The spectators' acceptance wore thin amid regular grabbing, with the challenger going down various instances during clinches.
The underdog ended stronger, but multiple periods were hard to judge. However, ex-champion the boxing analyst - working with the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just a single round.
The victor progresses, but with the likes of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the path to championship success - on this evidence - still looks steep.
Ricky Hatton Tribute Inspires All-Manchester Fight
In the supporting bout, Arthur overcame Rea by close verdict in a excellent Manchester vs Manchester battle to secure the European light heavyweight belt.
The arena fell silent for a profoundly moving memorial before the fight as a bell ceremony rang in remembrance of local hero Ricky Hatton, who passed away 46 years old in recently.
It was the premier televised boxing event in the city since Hatton's death. As the concluding sound ended, the silence gave way to a chant of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".
The fighting during the bout equaled the feeling. Arthur was knocked down by a powerful punch directly to the jaw in the initial stage, getting up unsteadily to his position on the eight count.
But the traditional red attire of the fighter soon came forward again. Across the ring, the opponent - in opposing blue - was damaged quickly, heavy swelling forming under his eye as the pair exchanged hard punches.
The challenger, 27, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with stinging uppercuts as the intensity hardly diminished over the full distance.
The victor narrowly won the result with scoring tallies of draw, narrow lead and 115-112, but each competitor were relentless and full of heart, all the qualities their idol the legend represented.
