British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming beginning to life under fresh promotional backing with a decision win over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's activity level appeared to earn him a majority decision in a competitive 10-round bout at the Manchester venue.
But Parker landed significant shots, landing some telling clean blows in a contest where the techniques failed to mesh, with excessive holding spoiling the contest.
Two judges had it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the remaining official a 95-95.
"It wasn't my best performance but how do champions respond? They succeed," Buatsi stated in the ringside as he was met by negative reactions from the spectators.
The British fighter returned to winning ways after his initial pro loss - an epic battle with his previous opponent in February - to earn a 20th career victory.
Several boxing experts felt the challenger, thirty-one, merited the win but the Derbyshire fighter endured the second loss of his 28-match professional journey.
Buatsi Earns Victory in Dull Affair
The fighter's advancement has slowed in recent years through management issues and long spells of lack of fights.
Once tipped as the future of the British fight scene, he now is positioned trying to achieve expectations - perhaps in what appears to be a ultimate opportunity - under new promotional backing.
He opened tentatively, with neither fighter prepared to overcommit in a cagey opening few rounds.
The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after breaking his hand during the bout, was competing in only his second fight at light-heavyweight.
By the halfway stage, the underdog had kept it close, causing problems for Buatsi, who utilized a protective stance to narrowly win the cleaner periods.
The spectators' acceptance decreased because of constant clinching, with Parker going down several times during close exchanges.
Parker finished the stronger, but many rounds were hard to judge. However, previous titleholder Carl Frampton - working with Dazn - had it particularly wide for the challenger, awarding Buatsi just a single round.
Buatsi advances, but with the likes of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the path to championship success - based on this performance - still appears challenging.
Hatton Tribute Inspires Local Rivalry Battle
In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur beat Rea by split-decision in a terrific local rivalry battle to capture the European light-heavyweight title.
The venue grew hushed for a extremely emotional homage prior to the bout as 10 bells rang in memory of Manchester's own Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in last month.
It was the initial significant broadcast fight night in the urban center since Hatton's passing. As the concluding sound disappeared, the silence became a roar of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".
The action inside the ropes equaled the feeling. Arthur was knocked down by a left hook directly to the face in the initial stage, standing uncertainly to his feet on the referee's count.
But the traditional red attire of the fighter soon advanced again. From the other corner, Rea - in opposing blue - was damaged soon, significant bruising appearing under his orbital area as the fighters exchanged hard punches.
Rea, 27, landed power punches but Arthur, 34, responded in kind with effective uppercuts as the pace hardly diminished over 12 rounds.
Arthur edged the decision with judges scorecards of draw, 115-113 and clearer margin, but the two athletes were relentless and courageous, all the qualities their inspiration the legend embodied.
