UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet unimpressive start to his career under recent management with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's activity level seemingly secured him a majority decision in a competitive ten-round bout at the boxing arena.
But Parker had his moments, delivering effective individual punches in a fight where the techniques didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing disrupting the fight.
The officials judged it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the remaining official a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my greatest performance but what do champions do? They win," the victor stated in the ringside as he was met by negative reactions from the crowd.
The British fighter returned to winning ways after his initial pro loss - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in last winter - to secure a 20th pro success.
Several boxing experts felt Parker, 31, merited the win but the Derbyshire fighter experienced the second loss of his 28-fight professional journey.
Buatsi Claims Win in Uneventful Match
His career development has plateaued in recent times through management issues and considerable time of inactivity.
Previously predicted as the future of UK boxing, he now is positioned trying to realize his potential - possibly in what appears to be a ultimate opportunity - under recent support.
He opened tentatively, with neither fighter willing to take risks in a tentative initial rounds.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after breaking his hand during the bout, was making just his second appearance at light-heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had kept it close, making life awkward for the favorite, who utilized a protective stance to edge the better stanzas.
The audience's tolerance decreased during regular grabbing, with the challenger going down various instances during close exchanges.
The underdog closed well, but many rounds were hard to judge. However, former world champion the boxing analyst - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for Parker, awarding Buatsi just one round.
The victor moves on, but with the caliber of hard hitter Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol dominating the weight class, the journey to titles - based on this performance - still seems difficult.
Hatton Tribute Fuels Manchester Derby Contest
In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur defeated Rea by split-decision in a excellent Manchester vs Manchester contest to win the European light heavyweight championship.
The arena fell silent for a extremely emotional memorial prior to the bout as a bell ceremony rang in remembrance of local hero Ricky Hatton, who succumbed at age 46 in September.
It was the first major televised boxing event in the location since Hatton's death. As the last bell faded, the silence became a shout of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The action inside the ropes equaled the feeling. The eventual winner was knocked down by a significant blow flush on the jaw in the second round, rising shakily to his footing on the count of eight.
But the traditional red attire of Arthur soon advanced again. On the opposite side, Rea - in competitive blue - was marked up early, heavy swelling appearing under his orbital area as the duo exchanged powerful shots.
The challenger, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, 34, matched the intensity with effective uppercuts as the intensity seldom decreased over twelve rounds.
Arthur edged the result with official scores of 114-114, close margin and 115-112, but each competitor were persistent and full of heart, everything their inspiration the legend embodied.
