UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet underwhelming start to his career under recent management with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic bronze medallist's punch output seemingly secured him a split decision in a close ten-round bout at the boxing arena.
But the challenger had his moments, landing some telling single shots in a contest where the styles never quite clicked, with excessive holding disrupting the fight.
The scoring judges judged it 96-94 to the winner, with the third a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my best showing but what defines champions? They succeed," Buatsi stated in the arena as he was faced negative reactions from the spectators.
The British fighter got back to winning after his maiden career setback - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in February - to claim a twentieth professional win.
Various analysts thought Parker, thirty-one, should have been awarded the win but the Derbyshire fighter suffered the second setback of his 28-fight professional journey.
Buatsi Secures Victory in Slow Match
His career development has slowed in the past few years through promotional disputes and extended periods of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the future of British boxing, he now is positioned trying to realize his potential - maybe in what feels like a final roll of the dice - under fresh management.
He began cautiously, with the two boxers ready to overcommit in a calculated early stages.
Parker, whose only previous defeat came at the lower weight class against John Ryder in two years ago after damaging his hand mid-fight, was competing in only his second bout at light heavyweight.
By the halfway stage, Parker had stayed in contention, making life awkward for Buatsi, who operated with a protective stance to narrowly win the cleaner periods.
The audience's tolerance diminished amid frequent holding, with Parker going down multiple occasions during close exchanges.
Parker closed well, but many rounds were difficult to score. However, ex-champion Carl Frampton - working with Dazn - had it significantly in favor for Parker, giving Buatsi just only one stanza.
The victor advances, but with the likes of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the road to world glory - based on this performance - still appears challenging.
Hatton Memorial Fuels Local Rivalry Battle
In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur beat Bradley Rea by divided decision in a terrific Manchester vs Manchester battle to win the continental belt.
The arena grew hushed for a extremely emotional homage prior to the bout as ten bells sounded in memory of the city's native Ricky Hatton, who succumbed aged 46 in last month.
It was the premier televised match card in the urban center since Hatton's passing. As the final chime disappeared, the stillness transitioned to a shout of "only one Hatton".
The action within the ring matched the sentiment. Arthur was knocked down by a left hook squarely on the face in the second round, rising shakily to his feet on the referee's count.
But the red-colored attire of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in opposing blue - was damaged soon, heavy swelling developing under his face as the duo landed punishing blows.
The challenger, twenty-seven, landed power punches but the champion, thirty-four, matched the intensity with stinging uppercuts as the pace hardly diminished over the full distance.
Arthur narrowly won the result with scoring tallies of even score, narrow lead and 115-112, but the two athletes were persistent and full of heart, everything their hero Hatton embodied.
