UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet underwhelming start to life under new promoters with a decision win over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a competitive ten-round contest at the boxing arena.
But the challenger had his moments, landing some telling single shots in a fight where the approaches didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing spoiling the contest.
The scoring judges judged it 96-94 for to the winner, with the remaining official a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my finest performance but how do champions respond? They succeed," Buatsi stated in the arena as he was greeted with negative reactions from the spectators.
The Londoner bounced back after his initial pro loss - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in February - to claim a 20th career victory.
Several boxing experts felt Parker, thirty-one, merited the decision but the British boxer experienced the second defeat of his 28-match career.
The Champion Secures Triumph in Uneventful Encounter
Buatsi's progress has slowed in recent years through management issues and long spells of lack of fights.
Once tipped as the future of the British fight scene, he now finds himself trying to realize his potential - maybe in what seems like a ultimate opportunity - under new promotional backing.
He began cautiously, with the two boxers willing to overcommit in a cagey opening few rounds.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in 2022 after breaking his hand in the contest, was competing in only his second appearance at light heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, Parker had kept it close, causing problems for Buatsi, who operated with a protective stance to barely take the more effective stanzas.
The spectators' acceptance diminished because of constant clinching, with Parker slipping to the canvas various instances during close exchanges.
The underdog finished the stronger, but many rounds were difficult to score. Although, ex-champion the boxing analyst - commentating on the broadcast network - had it significantly in favor for the challenger, awarding Buatsi just a single round.
Buatsi moves on, but with the presence of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol ruling the division, the journey to titles - based on this performance - still appears challenging.
Hatton Homage Fuels Local Rivalry Battle
In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by split-decision in a outstanding local rivalry contest to capture the European light-heavyweight title.
The arena grew hushed for a deeply poignant memorial before the fight as 10 bells tolled in honor of local hero Ricky Hatton, who succumbed aged 46 in September.
It was the premier televised match card in the city since Hatton's passing. As the last bell faded, the silence became a roar of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The competition during the bout matched the feeling. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a left hook directly to the chin in the early round, standing uncertainly to his position on the count of eight.
But the Manchester United-red equipment of Arthur soon came forward again. On the opposite side, Rea - in opposing blue - was marked up early, significant bruising appearing under his eye as the fighters landed powerful shots.
The challenger, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but the champion, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the action seldom decreased over twelve rounds.
The victor narrowly won the decision with official scores of even score, narrow lead and wider gap, but each competitor were determined and full of heart, all the qualities their inspiration Hatton embodied.
