British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet unimpressive debut to his career under new promoters with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's punch output likely gained him a split decision in a competitive ten-round bout at the Manchester venue.
But Parker found success, landing some telling clean blows in a contest where the approaches didn't complement each other, with excessive holding disrupting the action.
The scoring judges scored it 96-94 for to the winner, with the third a 95-95.
"It wasn't my finest performance but what defines champions? They prevail," Buatsi said in the arena as he was greeted with negative reactions from the spectators.
The British fighter bounced back after his initial pro loss - an epic battle with his previous opponent in last winter - to secure a twentieth professional win.
Several boxing experts believed Parker, thirty-one, merited the win but the contender experienced the second defeat of his 28-fight professional journey.
The Champion Secures Victory in Dull Encounter
Buatsi's progress has slowed in recent years through contract problems and long spells of inactivity.
Previously predicted as the rising talent of UK boxing, he now finds himself trying to realize his potential - perhaps in what appears to be a ultimate opportunity - under fresh management.
He started carefully, with the two boxers willing to overcommit in a tentative initial rounds.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super middleweight against his former opponent in two years ago after breaking his hand mid-fight, was competing in only his second bout at light heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, Parker had stayed in contention, creating difficulties for Buatsi, who operated with a tight guard to narrowly win the better rounds.
The spectators' acceptance decreased during regular grabbing, with Parker slipping to the canvas several times during grappling.
Parker finished the stronger, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. Although, previous titleholder Carl Frampton - working with Dazn - had it significantly in favor for the challenger, giving Buatsi just a single round.
Buatsi progresses, but with the presence of hard hitter Benavidez, and Russian champion Bivol ruling the division, the road to world glory - based on this performance - still appears challenging.
Ricky Hatton Tribute Motivates Local Rivalry Contest
In the supporting bout, Arthur overcame Rea by divided decision in a outstanding local rivalry battle to win the European light-heavyweight championship.
The venue became quiet for a deeply poignant tribute prior to the bout as ten bells sounded in memory of local hero Hatton, who succumbed 46 years old in September.
It was the initial significant broadcast boxing event in the location since Hatton's passing. As the concluding sound disappeared, the quiet transitioned to a chant of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".
The competition during the bout matched the sentiment. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a significant blow directly to the jaw in the second round, standing uncertainly to his feet on the eight count.
But the traditional red shorts of Arthur soon came forward again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in competitive blue - was injured quickly, noticeable damage developing under his eye as the pair landed hard punches.
The challenger, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but Arthur, 34, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the action hardly diminished over 12 rounds.
Arthur narrowly won the decision with official scores of even score, close margin and wider gap, but the two athletes were relentless and brave, everything their hero the legend represented.
