British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet underwhelming debut to his career under new promoters with a decision win over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate appeared to earn him a majority decision in a tight 10-round contest at the boxing arena.
But Parker had his moments, landing some telling single shots in a contest where the approaches didn't complement each other, with excessive holding marring the fight.
Two judges had it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the remaining official a 95-95.
"It wasn't my best showing but how do champions respond? They win," the victor commented in the arena as he was greeted with boos from the crowd.
The Londoner returned to winning ways after his first professional defeat - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in February - to earn a twentieth professional win.
Some ringside observers believed Parker, thirty-one, should have been awarded the decision but the Derbyshire fighter suffered the second loss of his 28-bout career.
Buatsi Claims Win in Slow Encounter
His career development has slowed in recent years through management issues and considerable time of inactivity.
Once tipped as the future of British boxing, he now stands trying to achieve expectations - possibly in what seems like a ultimate opportunity - under new promotional backing.
He opened tentatively, with both competitors prepared to take risks in a tentative early stages.
Parker, whose only previous defeat came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after damaging his hand during the bout, was participating in his second fight at the higher weight class.
By the halfway stage, Parker had made it competitive, causing problems for the favorite, who operated with a solid defense to barely take the cleaner rounds.
The audience's tolerance wore thin amid constant clinching, with the challenger falling to the floor several times during grappling.
Parker ended stronger, but multiple periods were challenging to assess. Although, former world champion Carl Frampton - working with Dazn - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, awarding Buatsi just one round.
The victor moves on, but with the likes of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the road to world glory - based on this performance - still looks steep.
Hatton Homage Inspires All-Manchester Fight
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur defeated Rea by split-decision in a outstanding Manchester vs Manchester battle to capture the continental championship.
The stadium grew hushed for a deeply poignant memorial ahead of the contest as ten bells sounded in honor of local hero Hatton, who passed away at age 46 in recently.
It was the first major televised boxing event in the location since Hatton's passing. As the final chime faded, the stillness gave way to a chant of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The fighting inside the ropes matched the feeling. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a left hook squarely on the chin in the initial stage, getting up unsteadily to his position on the count of eight.
But the Manchester United-red equipment of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. From the other corner, the opponent - in opposing blue - was injured soon, significant bruising developing under his eye as the duo traded punishing blows.
The challenger, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, 34, matched the intensity with effective uppercuts as the action rarely dropped over the full distance.
The victor edged the verdict with official scores of draw, close margin and wider gap, but each competitor were persistent and full of heart, exactly what their idol the legend stood for.
