British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet unimpressive beginning to his career under recent management with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's punch output seemingly secured him a majority decision in a close 10-round fight at the Manchester venue.
But the challenger had his moments, landing some telling single shots in a fight where the approaches failed to mesh, with frequent clinching disrupting the fight.
Two judges had it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the final judge a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my greatest showing but what do champions do? They prevail," the victor said in the ringside as he was greeted with boos from the spectators.
The Londoner returned to winning ways after his initial pro loss - an memorable fight with his previous opponent in last winter - to earn a twentieth professional win.
Various analysts believed the challenger, thirty-one, merited the decision but the contender endured the second defeat of his 28-bout career.
Buatsi Earns Triumph in Slow Match
The fighter's advancement has plateaued in the past few years through management issues and long spells of inactivity.
Previously predicted as the future of British boxing, he now is positioned trying to fulfil that early promise - possibly in what appears to be a ultimate opportunity - under fresh management.
He started carefully, with neither fighter prepared to overcommit in a calculated early stages.
Parker, whose only previous defeat came at the lower weight class against John Ryder in 2022 after damaging his hand in the contest, was competing in only his second appearance at light heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, Parker had stayed in contention, creating difficulties for the favorite, who operated with a tight guard to narrowly win the more effective periods.
The audience's tolerance wore thin amid frequent holding, with Parker slipping to the canvas several times during grappling.
The underdog finished the stronger, but several stanzas were difficult to score. Although, ex-champion Carl Frampton - working with Dazn - had it particularly wide for the challenger, awarding 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 path to championship success - on this evidence - still seems difficult.
Hatton Homage Motivates All-Manchester Battle
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by divided decision in a excellent local rivalry battle to capture the European light-heavyweight title.
The stadium grew hushed for a extremely emotional tribute ahead of the contest as a bell ceremony sounded in honor of the city's native Ricky Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in recently.
It was the first major televised match card in the city since Hatton's death. As the last bell faded, the silence became a chant of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The fighting within the ring equaled the sentiment. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a powerful punch squarely on the chin in the second round, standing uncertainly to his position on the eight count.
But the red-colored shorts of Arthur soon came forward again. From the other corner, the opponent - in competitive blue - was marked up soon, noticeable damage appearing under his face as the pair traded punishing blows.
The challenger, 27, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, 34, matched the intensity with stinging uppercuts as the pace hardly diminished over twelve rounds.
The victor barely secured the decision with scoring tallies of even score, 115-113 and clearer margin, but each competitor were persistent and courageous, everything their idol Hatton represented.
