British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet disappointing start to his career under fresh promotional backing with a decision win over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level appeared to earn him a judges' verdict in a competitive ten-round fight at the Co-op Live Arena.
But Parker landed significant shots, landing some telling individual punches in a match where the styles failed to mesh, with excessive holding marring the fight.
The officials judged it 96-94 for to the winner, with the final judge a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my finest performance but what defines champions? They win," Buatsi commented in the ringside as he was greeted with disapproval from the audience.
The Londoner got back to winning after his first professional defeat - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in last winter - to claim a twentieth professional win.
Several boxing experts believed Parker, thirty-one, merited the win but the contender endured the second setback of his 28-fight career.
The Champion Claims Triumph in Uneventful Match
The fighter's advancement has slowed in recent times through promotional disputes and extended periods of lack of fights.
Earlier forecast as the next star of the British fight scene, he now is positioned trying to achieve expectations - perhaps in what appears to be a last chance - under recent support.
He began cautiously, with the two boxers willing to be aggressive in a tentative initial rounds.
The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after damaging his hand in the contest, was making just his second bout at light heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, the underdog had made it competitive, causing problems for the favorite, who operated with a solid defense to edge the cleaner stanzas.
The audience's tolerance wore thin during constant clinching, with Parker slipping to the canvas several times during clinches.
Parker finished the stronger, but many rounds were challenging to assess. Although, former world champion the boxing analyst - providing analysis for Dazn - had it particularly wide for the challenger, awarding Buatsi just a single round.
The victor moves on, but with the caliber of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the journey to titles - on this evidence - still seems difficult.
Ricky Hatton Tribute Inspires Manchester Derby Fight
In the co-main event, Arthur beat Bradley Rea by close verdict in a excellent Manchester vs Manchester battle to secure the European light heavyweight championship.
The stadium fell silent for a extremely emotional homage before the fight as a bell ceremony sounded in honor of the city's native Hatton, who died at age 46 in September.
It was the initial significant broadcast fight night in the city since Hatton's death. As the concluding sound disappeared, the silence became a chant of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The fighting inside the ropes matched the feeling. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a powerful punch directly to the chin in the early round, standing uncertainly to his footing on the referee's count.
But the Manchester United-red shorts of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in rival City blue - was marked up early, significant bruising appearing under his face as the duo landed powerful shots.
The challenger, 27, connected with strong blows but Arthur, thirty-four, responded in kind with effective uppercuts as the intensity seldom decreased over twelve rounds.
The victor barely secured the verdict with official scores of even score, 115-113 and clearer margin, but both fighters were persistent and full of heart, exactly what their inspiration the legend embodied.
