British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet unimpressive debut to life under new promoters with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level appeared to earn him a judges' verdict in a close 10-round fight at the Manchester venue.
But the challenger landed significant shots, delivering effective single shots in a match where the techniques failed to mesh, with excessive holding marring the action.
Two judges scored it 96-94 to the winner, with the final judge a 95-95.
"It wasn't my greatest performance but what do champions do? They prevail," the victor stated in the ringside as he was met by disapproval from the spectators.
The Londoner returned to winning ways after his first professional defeat - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in February - to earn a twentieth professional win.
Several boxing experts believed the challenger, 31, deserved the win but the contender suffered the second defeat of his 28-fight professional journey.
Buatsi Claims Win in Uneventful Match
His career development has stalled in the past few years through promotional disputes and considerable time of lack of fights.
Once tipped as the rising talent of UK boxing, he now stands trying to realize his potential - maybe in what feels like a ultimate opportunity - under fresh management.
He began cautiously, with the two boxers ready to take risks in a calculated opening few rounds.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after damaging his hand during the bout, was making just his second fight at the higher weight class.
By the middle rounds, the underdog had kept it close, making life awkward for the favorite, who utilized a protective stance to edge the better periods.
The spectators' acceptance diminished amid constant clinching, with the challenger falling to the floor multiple occasions during clinches.
The underdog ended stronger, but many rounds were challenging to assess. Nevertheless, ex-champion Carl Frampton - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for Parker, awarding Buatsi just one round.
Buatsi progresses, but with the presence of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the path to championship success - based on this performance - still seems difficult.
Hatton Tribute Fuels Manchester Derby Contest
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by split-decision in a terrific local rivalry battle to capture the European light heavyweight championship.
The arena became quiet for a deeply poignant memorial ahead of the contest as 10 bells rang in honor of the city's native Hatton, who died aged 46 in recently.
It was the first major televised boxing event in the location since the passing of Hatton. As the last bell faded, the stillness became a roar of "only one Ricky Hatton".
The action within the ring equaled the sentiment. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a powerful punch directly to the jaw in the second round, standing uncertainly to his position on the count of eight.
But the traditional red attire of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, Rea - in rival City blue - was marked up soon, noticeable damage appearing under his eye as the pair exchanged hard punches.
The challenger, 27, connected with strong blows but the champion, 34, matched the intensity with effective uppercuts as the intensity hardly diminished over 12 rounds.
The victor edged the verdict with scoring tallies of draw, close margin and wider gap, but each competitor were relentless and brave, all the qualities their idol the legend represented.
