British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet disappointing beginning to life under fresh promotional backing with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a tight 10-round contest at the Manchester venue.
But Parker had his moments, landing some telling clean blows in a contest where the techniques failed to mesh, with constant grabbing disrupting the action.
The scoring judges had it 96-94 to the winner, with the third a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my greatest showing but what defines champions? They succeed," the victor commented in the arena as he was met by negative reactions from the crowd.
The Londoner got back to winning after his first professional defeat - an memorable fight with his previous opponent in February - to earn a 20th career victory.
Several boxing experts thought Parker, 31, merited the decision but the contender suffered the second loss of his 28-match professional journey.
The Champion Claims Victory in Uneventful Encounter
His career development has slowed in recent years through management issues and long spells of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the rising talent of the British fight scene, he now is positioned trying to fulfil that early promise - perhaps in what seems like a ultimate opportunity - under new promotional backing.
He opened tentatively, with the two boxers willing to take risks in a cagey opening few rounds.
Parker, whose single earlier setback came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was making just his second fight at light-heavyweight.
By the halfway stage, the underdog had kept it close, causing problems for Buatsi, who utilized a solid defense to edge the more effective periods.
The spectators' acceptance decreased amid regular grabbing, with the challenger slipping to the canvas multiple occasions during close exchanges.
Parker closed well, but many rounds were challenging to assess. Although, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - working with Dazn - had it significantly in favor for the challenger, giving Buatsi just one round.
The victor advances, but with the caliber of power puncher David Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Bivol dominating the weight class, the path to championship success - based on this performance - still appears challenging.
Hatton Memorial Inspires Local Rivalry Fight
In the co-main event, Arthur beat Bradley Rea by divided decision in a outstanding Manchester vs Manchester battle to secure the European light-heavyweight belt.
The venue fell silent for a profoundly moving memorial prior to the bout as 10 bells rang in memory of the city's native Hatton, who passed away at age 46 in recently.
It was the first major televised match card in the city since Hatton's death. As the concluding sound faded, the silence gave way to a shout of "only one Ricky Hatton".
The competition within the ring reflected the sentiment. Arthur was floored by a left hook directly to the face in the early round, getting up unsteadily to his position on the count of eight.
But the Manchester United-red attire of the fighter soon came forward again. Across the ring, Rea - in competitive blue - was damaged quickly, heavy swelling forming under his face as the duo landed powerful shots.
The challenger, twenty-seven, landed power punches but the champion, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with stinging uppercuts as the action rarely dropped over 12 rounds.
The victor narrowly won the decision with scoring tallies of even score, narrow lead and clearer margin, but the two athletes were relentless and full of heart, all the qualities their inspiration Hatton embodied.
