British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet unimpressive debut to his career under fresh promotional backing with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's punch output seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a close 10-round bout at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger had his moments, landing some telling clean blows in a match where the approaches never quite clicked, with excessive holding marring the fight.
The scoring judges had it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the remaining official a 95-95.
"It wasn't my best display but how do champions respond? They win," Buatsi commented in the ring as he was greeted with negative reactions from the spectators.
The British fighter got back to winning after his first professional defeat - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a twentieth professional win.
Some ringside observers believed the challenger, thirty-one, deserved the win but the Derbyshire fighter experienced the second loss of his 28-match career.
Buatsi Secures Win in Dull Match
The fighter's advancement has slowed in the past few years through management issues and considerable time of inactivity.
Once tipped as the rising talent of British boxing, he now finds himself trying to fulfil that early promise - possibly in what feels like a ultimate opportunity - under fresh management.
He opened tentatively, with neither fighter ready to overcommit in a cagey early stages.
Parker, whose only previous defeat came at super middleweight against his former opponent in two years ago after suffering a hand injury mid-fight, was competing in only his second appearance at light-heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, Parker had made it competitive, creating difficulties for Buatsi, who utilized a solid defense to edge the better periods.
The crowd's patience diminished during frequent holding, with the challenger falling to the floor various instances during close exchanges.
Parker finished the stronger, but multiple periods were difficult to score. Nevertheless, ex-champion Carl Frampton - working with the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for Parker, awarding Buatsi just one round.
Buatsi advances, but with the caliber of hard hitter Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Bivol ruling the division, the road to world glory - based on this performance - still looks steep.
Ricky Hatton Memorial Motivates Manchester Derby Contest
In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by close verdict in a outstanding all-Manchester battle to capture the European light heavyweight title.
The stadium became quiet for a profoundly moving memorial ahead of the contest as ten bells tolled in memory of the city's native Ricky Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in September.
It was the first major televised fight night in the urban center since Hatton's death. As the final chime disappeared, the quiet became a roar of "only one Ricky Hatton".
The fighting within the ring reflected the emotion. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a powerful punch squarely on the jaw in the initial stage, standing uncertainly to his position on the referee's count.
But the red-colored equipment of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in competitive blue - was damaged quickly, significant bruising forming under his eye as the pair landed punishing blows.
Rea, 27, delivered effective strikes but the champion, thirty-four, responded in kind with effective uppercuts as the pace rarely dropped over the full distance.
The victor barely secured the result with scoring tallies of 114-114, close margin and 115-112, but each competitor were relentless and brave, all the qualities their hero the legend embodied.
