UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming start to life under fresh promotional backing with a decision win over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic bronze medallist's work rate seemingly secured him a split decision in a competitive 10-round fight at the boxing arena.
But the challenger landed significant shots, delivering effective individual punches in a match where the approaches didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing spoiling the fight.
The scoring judges scored it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the third a 95-95.
"It wasn't my finest display but what defines champions? They succeed," Buatsi said in the arena as he was faced negative reactions from the spectators.
The Londoner bounced back after his maiden career setback - an epic battle with his previous opponent in February - to claim a twentieth professional win.
Various analysts thought Parker, 31, should have been awarded the win but the contender endured the second loss of his 28-bout career.
The Champion Earns Triumph in Dull Match
Buatsi's progress has plateaued in recent times through promotional disputes and extended periods of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the future of British boxing, he now stands trying to achieve expectations - maybe in what appears to be a ultimate opportunity - under recent support.
He began cautiously, with the two boxers prepared to be aggressive in a tentative early stages.
The challenger, whose sole prior loss came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after damaging his hand in the contest, was making just his second appearance at light heavyweight.
By the halfway stage, Parker had stayed in contention, making life awkward for the favorite, who utilized a solid defense to narrowly win the better periods.
The crowd's patience diminished amid regular grabbing, with the challenger going down several times during grappling.
Parker closed well, but many rounds were difficult to score. However, ex-champion the boxing analyst - commentating on Dazn - had it strongly leaning for Parker, awarding Buatsi just a single round.
The victor moves on, but with the presence of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - judging by this showing - still seems difficult.
Hatton Tribute Inspires Manchester Derby Fight
In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur overcame Rea by close verdict in a outstanding all-Manchester fight to win the European light heavyweight belt.
The venue grew hushed for a profoundly moving homage before the fight as 10 bells tolled in honor of local hero Hatton, who died aged 46 in last month.
It was the first major televised fight night in the city since Hatton's death. As the final chime faded, the stillness transitioned to a shout of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The competition within the ring reflected the sentiment. The eventual winner was knocked down by a left hook squarely on the jaw in the second round, getting up unsteadily to his footing on the eight count.
But the red-colored attire of the fighter soon advanced again. From the other corner, the opponent - in competitive blue - was damaged quickly, heavy swelling appearing under his face as the fighters exchanged hard punches.
Rea, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but Arthur, 34, matched the intensity with stinging uppercuts as the action seldom decreased over the full distance.
The victor edged the result with scoring tallies of draw, 115-113 and wider gap, but both fighters were persistent and full of heart, all the qualities their idol Hatton embodied.
