British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet disappointing debut to life under new promoters with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's activity level likely gained him a judges' verdict in a close ten-round fight at the Manchester venue.
But the challenger had his moments, delivering effective single shots in a fight where the approaches failed to mesh, with constant grabbing spoiling the contest.
The scoring judges judged it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the remaining official a even score.
"It wasn't my best performance but what do champions do? They win," Buatsi commented in the ring as he was greeted with negative reactions from the spectators.
The Londoner bounced back after his maiden career setback - an epic battle with Callum Smith in last winter - to claim a 20th career victory.
Some ringside observers felt the challenger, thirty-one, deserved the win but the British boxer endured the second defeat of his 28-match professional journey.
Buatsi Earns Victory in Dull Affair
His career development has plateaued in recent times through contract problems and extended periods of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the future of British boxing, he now finds himself trying to achieve expectations - perhaps in what feels like a last chance - under recent support.
He began cautiously, with neither fighter willing to be aggressive in a calculated early stages.
The challenger, whose sole prior loss came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in 2022 after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was participating in his second appearance at the higher weight class.
By the middle rounds, Parker had kept it close, causing problems for Buatsi, who worked behind a tight guard to barely take the better rounds.
The crowd's patience decreased because of constant clinching, with Parker slipping to the canvas multiple occasions during close exchanges.
The underdog closed well, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. However, ex-champion Carl Frampton - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just one round.
Buatsi progresses, but with the caliber of hard hitter Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol dominating the weight class, the path to championship success - based on this performance - still looks steep.
Hatton Homage Inspires All-Manchester Fight
In the co-main event, Arthur beat Rea by divided decision in a outstanding Manchester vs Manchester contest to win the European light-heavyweight championship.
The venue became quiet for a profoundly moving memorial ahead of the contest as ten bells tolled in honor of local hero Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in last month.
It was the first major televised fight night in the location since Hatton's death. As the concluding sound faded, the quiet transitioned to a chant of "there's only one Hatton".
The competition inside the ropes reflected the emotion. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a significant blow squarely on the face in the early round, standing uncertainly to his feet on the referee's count.
But the red-colored attire of the fighter soon advanced again. From the other corner, the opponent - in competitive blue - was damaged soon, heavy swelling forming under his face as the pair traded hard punches.
Rea, 27, landed power punches but Arthur, thirty-four, matched the intensity with powerful upward punches as the action seldom decreased over 12 rounds.
Arthur barely secured the decision with scoring tallies of 114-114, narrow lead and wider gap, but each competitor were persistent and full of heart, everything their inspiration Hatton stood for.
