UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet unimpressive beginning to life under new promoters with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's activity level seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a close 10-round fight at the Co-op Live Arena.
But Parker found success, connecting with powerful single shots in a contest where the techniques never quite clicked, with constant grabbing disrupting the action.
Two judges had it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the third a even score.
"It wasn't my greatest performance but what defines champions? They win," the victor commented in the ringside as he was met by boos from the spectators.
The Londoner returned to winning ways after his initial pro loss - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in February - to secure a 20th career victory.
Several boxing experts thought the challenger, thirty-one, deserved the decision but the British boxer endured the second defeat of his 28-match career.
The Champion Claims Triumph in Slow Encounter
His career development has plateaued in the past few years through promotional disputes and long spells of inactivity.
Once tipped as the future of UK boxing, he now is positioned trying to fulfil that early promise - perhaps in what seems like a ultimate opportunity - under fresh management.
He started carefully, with neither fighter willing to overcommit in a calculated opening few rounds.
Parker, whose only previous defeat came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in two years ago after breaking his hand mid-fight, was participating in his second fight at the higher weight class.
By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had kept it close, making life awkward for Buatsi, who worked behind a protective stance to barely take the cleaner stanzas.
The audience's tolerance decreased because of constant clinching, with the challenger falling to the floor various instances during close exchanges.
Parker closed well, but multiple periods were challenging to assess. Nevertheless, ex-champion the boxing analyst - working with the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for Parker, giving Buatsi just only one stanza.
Buatsi moves on, but with the likes of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the road to world glory - based on this performance - still looks steep.
Hatton Homage Fuels Manchester Derby Battle
In the secondary fight, Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by split-decision in a terrific local rivalry contest to win the continental championship.
The arena fell silent for a deeply poignant memorial ahead of the contest as ten bells rang in remembrance of local hero Hatton, who passed away 46 years old in last month.
It was the first major televised boxing event in the city since Hatton's passing. As the concluding sound ended, the silence transitioned to a shout of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The fighting during the bout matched the emotion. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a powerful punch directly to the face in the second round, getting up unsteadily to his footing on the eight count.
But the Manchester United-red attire of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. From the other corner, the opponent - in rival City blue - was marked up quickly, heavy swelling forming under his orbital area as the pair traded powerful shots.
Rea, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, 34, responded in kind with effective uppercuts as the action rarely dropped over the full distance.
The victor narrowly won the result with scoring tallies of draw, narrow lead and 115-112, but each competitor were persistent and brave, everything their inspiration the legend embodied.
