British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet underwhelming beginning to life under new promoters with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's activity level likely gained him a judges' verdict in a close ten-round bout at the Manchester venue.
But Parker found success, connecting with powerful individual punches in a fight where the styles failed to mesh, with frequent clinching disrupting the fight.
Two judges judged it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the third a 95-95.
"It wasn't my greatest performance but what do champions do? They prevail," Buatsi commented in the ringside as he was met by disapproval from the crowd.
The Londoner bounced back after his initial pro loss - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in February - to secure a 20th career victory.
Several boxing experts believed Parker, 31, should have been awarded the victory but the Derbyshire fighter suffered the second setback of his 28-fight professional journey.
The Champion Secures Win in Uneventful Affair
The fighter's advancement has stalled in recent years through management issues and extended periods of inactivity.
Once tipped as the next star of the British fight scene, he now is positioned trying to achieve expectations - maybe in what feels like a last chance - under recent support.
He started carefully, with neither fighter prepared to overcommit in a tentative opening few rounds.
The challenger, whose sole prior loss came at super middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after breaking his hand mid-fight, was competing in only his second fight at light heavyweight.
By the halfway stage, the underdog had stayed in contention, creating difficulties for the favorite, who operated with a tight guard to narrowly win the better stanzas.
The audience's tolerance wore thin because of regular grabbing, with the challenger going down various instances during close exchanges.
Parker ended stronger, but many rounds were challenging to assess. However, former world champion the boxing analyst - working with the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for the challenger, giving Buatsi just only one stanza.
The victor advances, but with the presence of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Bivol leading the category, the road to world glory - judging by this showing - still seems difficult.
Ricky Hatton Tribute Fuels All-Manchester Battle
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur overcame Rea by divided decision in a excellent all-Manchester battle to secure the European light-heavyweight belt.
The venue fell silent for a deeply poignant tribute ahead of the contest as a bell ceremony tolled in remembrance of the city's native Hatton, who passed away 46 years old in last month.
It was the first major televised fight night in the city since Hatton's passing. As the final chime disappeared, the quiet gave way to a chant of "there's only one Hatton".
The fighting within the ring reflected the emotion. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a significant blow directly to the face in the initial stage, rising shakily to his footing on the referee's count.
But the Manchester United-red shorts of the fighter soon advanced again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in competitive blue - was marked up early, heavy swelling forming under his face as the pair exchanged powerful shots.
The challenger, 27, delivered effective strikes but the champion, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the intensity hardly diminished over the full distance.
Arthur narrowly won the decision with judges scorecards of even score, narrow lead and wider gap, but both fighters were persistent and brave, exactly what their hero Hatton represented.
