British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet underwhelming start to his career under fresh promotional backing with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's punch output seemingly secured him a split decision in a tight 10-round bout at the boxing arena.
But the challenger found success, connecting with powerful clean blows in a match where the approaches never quite clicked, with constant grabbing marring the fight.
The scoring judges scored it 96-94 in favor to the winner, with the remaining official a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my best performance but what do champions do? They win," Buatsi stated in the arena as he was met by boos from the crowd.
The British fighter got back to winning after his first professional defeat - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in last winter - to secure a 20th pro success.
Some ringside observers thought the challenger, thirty-one, merited the victory but the Derbyshire fighter endured the second loss of his 28-match professional journey.
The Champion Earns Victory in Dull Encounter
The fighter's advancement has plateaued in recent times through contract problems and considerable time of inactivity.
Previously predicted as the next star of the British fight scene, he now stands trying to realize his potential - possibly in what feels like a final roll of the dice - under fresh management.
He opened tentatively, with the two boxers prepared to be aggressive in a cagey early stages.
The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at super middleweight against John Ryder in two years ago after breaking his hand during the bout, was competing in only his second appearance at light heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had stayed in contention, causing problems for Buatsi, who operated with a tight guard to edge the better stanzas.
The audience's tolerance diminished amid regular grabbing, with Parker slipping to the canvas various instances during grappling.
The underdog closed well, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. However, ex-champion Carl Frampton - working with the broadcast network - had it significantly in favor for the challenger, giving Buatsi just one round.
The victor progresses, but with the likes of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the road to world glory - judging by this showing - still seems difficult.
Ricky Hatton Memorial Fuels Manchester Derby Battle
In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur beat Bradley Rea by close verdict in a excellent local rivalry battle to win the European light heavyweight title.
The stadium grew hushed for a deeply poignant memorial prior to the bout as a bell ceremony sounded in remembrance of the city's native Hatton, who died 46 years old in September.
It was the initial significant broadcast fight night in the urban center since the passing of Hatton. As the concluding sound ended, the quiet became a shout of "there's only one Hatton".
The competition inside the ropes reflected the sentiment. The eventual winner was knocked down by a powerful punch directly to the jaw in the initial stage, getting up unsteadily to his feet on the referee's count.
But the red-colored attire of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, Rea - in opposing blue - was marked up quickly, noticeable damage developing under his eye as the duo exchanged punishing blows.
The challenger, 27, connected with strong blows but the champion, 34, responded in kind with stinging uppercuts as the intensity hardly diminished over twelve rounds.
Arthur barely secured the verdict with official scores of 114-114, close margin and 115-112, but both fighters were determined and courageous, all the qualities their inspiration Hatton represented.
