UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet disappointing debut to his career under new promoters with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's punch output likely gained him a majority decision in a tight 10-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger landed significant shots, landing some telling clean blows in a match where the approaches didn't complement each other, with frequent clinching marring the fight.
The officials judged it 96-94 for to the winner, with the final judge 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 spectators.
The British fighter bounced back after his first professional defeat - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in February - to earn a twentieth professional win.
Various analysts thought Parker, thirty-one, deserved the win but the British boxer endured the second defeat of his 28-bout professional journey.
Buatsi Claims Triumph in Slow Match
Buatsi's progress has stalled in recent times through management issues and considerable time of inactivity.
Once tipped as the future of the British fight scene, he now is positioned trying to achieve expectations - maybe in what appears to be a final roll of the dice - under new promotional backing.
He started carefully, with the two boxers ready to overcommit in a tentative initial rounds.
The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at super middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after breaking his hand mid-fight, was making just his second appearance at light heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, the underdog had made it competitive, making life awkward for Buatsi, who operated with a solid defense to narrowly win the more effective periods.
The audience's tolerance diminished during regular grabbing, with Parker falling to the floor various instances during grappling.
The underdog finished the stronger, but many rounds were challenging to assess. Although, ex-champion the boxing analyst - commentating on the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for the challenger, giving Buatsi just one round.
The victor moves on, but with the caliber of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the journey to titles - on this evidence - still looks steep.
Hatton Tribute Motivates Manchester Derby Contest
In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur defeated Rea by split-decision in a excellent all-Manchester contest to capture the European light-heavyweight title.
The stadium became quiet for a profoundly moving memorial before the fight as 10 bells tolled in memory of local hero Hatton, who died aged 46 in September.
It was the initial significant broadcast match card in the urban center since Hatton's death. As the last bell faded, the quiet gave way to a shout of "only one Hatton".
The competition within the ring matched the sentiment. Arthur was knocked down by a powerful punch squarely on the chin in the initial stage, rising shakily to his feet on the count of eight.
But the traditional red equipment of Arthur soon came forward again. From the other corner, Rea - in rival City blue - was damaged soon, heavy swelling appearing under his eye as the fighters exchanged powerful shots.
The challenger, twenty-seven, landed power punches but the champion, 34, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the intensity seldom decreased over 12 rounds.
Arthur edged the decision with judges scorecards of even score, 115-113 and 115-112, but the two athletes were determined and brave, exactly what their idol Hatton represented.
