UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet underwhelming beginning to life under fresh promotional backing with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's punch output appeared to earn him a majority decision in a tight ten-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.
But Parker landed significant shots, delivering effective single shots in a match where the approaches didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing marring the fight.
Two judges had it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the final judge a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my finest showing but what defines champions? They prevail," Buatsi said in the arena as he was met by negative reactions from the crowd.
The British fighter bounced back after his initial pro loss - an epic battle with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a 20th pro success.
Several boxing experts felt Parker, thirty-one, merited the decision but the contender endured the second defeat of his 28-match professional journey.
Buatsi Earns Victory in Dull Match
Buatsi's progress has plateaued in the past few years through contract problems and considerable time of inactivity.
Once tipped as the future of the British fight scene, he now finds himself trying to achieve expectations - perhaps in what appears to be a final roll of the dice - under fresh management.
He began cautiously, with neither fighter prepared to take risks in a calculated opening few rounds.
Parker, whose only previous defeat came at super middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after damaging his hand mid-fight, was participating in his second fight at light-heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, Parker had stayed in contention, creating difficulties for the favorite, who worked behind a tight guard to barely take the better stanzas.
The crowd's patience decreased because of regular grabbing, with the challenger going down multiple occasions during clinches.
Parker closed well, but several stanzas were difficult to score. However, former world champion Carl Frampton - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it significantly in favor for Parker, giving Buatsi just one round.
The victor progresses, but with the caliber of power puncher David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the road to world glory - based on this performance - still appears challenging.
Hatton Tribute Fuels All-Manchester Contest
In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur overcame Rea by split-decision in a excellent all-Manchester battle to win the continental belt.
The stadium became quiet for a deeply poignant homage ahead of the contest as a bell ceremony sounded in honor of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in last month.
It was the first major televised match card in the location since the passing of Hatton. As the concluding sound faded, the silence transitioned to a roar of "there's just one Hatton".
The fighting inside the ropes matched the sentiment. The eventual winner was floored by a significant blow directly to the face in the early round, standing uncertainly to his position on the referee's count.
But the red-colored shorts of Arthur soon came forward again. On the opposite side, Rea - in rival City blue - was injured quickly, significant bruising forming under his orbital area as the pair exchanged hard punches.
The challenger, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but the champion, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with stinging uppercuts as the pace seldom decreased over the full distance.
The victor barely secured the decision with judges scorecards of 114-114, 115-113 and 115-112, but the two athletes were relentless and courageous, exactly what their hero the legend embodied.
