British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet disappointing start to life under new promoters with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level seemingly secured him a split decision in a close ten-round fight at the Manchester venue.
But the challenger had his moments, landing some telling single shots in a fight where the techniques never quite clicked, with frequent clinching marring the action.
The officials judged it 96-94 to the winner, with the final judge a 95-95.
"It wasn't my best showing but how do champions respond? They prevail," Buatsi stated in the arena as he was met by disapproval from the audience.
The British fighter returned to winning ways after his first professional defeat - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a 20th pro success.
Several boxing experts felt Parker, thirty-one, merited the decision but the Derbyshire fighter endured the second loss of his 28-bout career.
The Champion Earns Triumph in Slow Match
The fighter's advancement has plateaued in the past few years through promotional disputes and extended periods of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the future of British boxing, he now stands trying to realize his potential - perhaps in what seems like a ultimate opportunity - under recent support.
He started carefully, with neither fighter ready to be aggressive 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 bout at light-heavyweight.
By the halfway stage, Parker had kept it close, creating difficulties for Buatsi, who utilized a protective stance to narrowly win the cleaner rounds.
The crowd's patience wore thin amid frequent holding, with Parker falling to the floor several times during grappling.
The underdog ended stronger, but many rounds were hard to judge. However, previous titleholder Carl Frampton - working with Dazn - had it particularly wide for the challenger, giving Buatsi just only one stanza.
Buatsi moves on, but with the likes of power puncher David Benavidez, and Russian champion Bivol dominating the weight class, the road to world glory - on this evidence - still seems difficult.
Ricky Hatton Homage Inspires Manchester Derby Battle
In the co-main event, Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by divided decision in a terrific Manchester vs Manchester fight to capture the European light heavyweight title.
The arena fell silent for a extremely emotional homage prior to the bout as ten bells tolled in remembrance of local hero Ricky Hatton, who passed away at age 46 in last month.
It was the premier televised fight night in the urban center since Hatton's passing. As the last bell ended, the silence transitioned to a shout of "there's just one Hatton".
The fighting inside the ropes matched the feeling. Arthur was knocked down by a significant blow flush on the face in the initial stage, standing uncertainly to his position on the count of eight.
But the Manchester United-red shorts of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, Rea - in rival City blue - was marked up quickly, noticeable damage forming under his face as the fighters landed punishing blows.
The challenger, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but Arthur, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with powerful upward punches as the intensity rarely dropped over twelve rounds.
Arthur barely secured the verdict with scoring tallies of even score, narrow lead and wider gap, but both fighters were determined and full of heart, exactly what their inspiration the legend embodied.
