British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet unimpressive start to his career under fresh promotional backing with a decision win over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate seemingly secured him a majority decision in a tight ten-round contest at the boxing arena.
But the challenger found success, landing some telling clean blows in a match where the techniques didn't complement each other, with frequent clinching marring the fight.
The officials had it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the remaining official a even score.
"It wasn't my greatest performance but what do champions do? They prevail," Buatsi stated in the ring as he was greeted with negative reactions from the crowd.
The British fighter bounced back after his initial pro loss - an memorable fight with his previous opponent in last winter - to claim a 20th pro success.
Various analysts felt Parker, thirty-one, deserved the win but the contender suffered the second defeat of his 28-fight professional journey.
Buatsi Earns Victory in Dull Affair
Buatsi's progress has plateaued in the past few years through management issues and long spells of inactivity.
Previously predicted as the rising talent of British boxing, he now finds himself trying to achieve expectations - perhaps in what seems like a final roll of the dice - under recent support.
He started carefully, with neither fighter prepared to overcommit in a tentative opening few rounds.
Parker, whose only previous defeat came at super middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after breaking his hand during the bout, was making just his second fight at the higher weight class.
By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had made it competitive, creating difficulties for the favorite, who operated with a protective stance to narrowly win the cleaner periods.
The crowd's patience diminished during regular grabbing, with the challenger going down multiple occasions during grappling.
Parker ended stronger, but many rounds were hard to judge. Nevertheless, ex-champion Carl Frampton - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for Parker, awarding Buatsi just one round.
Buatsi moves on, but with the caliber of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - judging by this showing - still looks steep.
Ricky Hatton Memorial Motivates All-Manchester Battle
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by close verdict in a outstanding local rivalry contest to capture the European light-heavyweight belt.
The arena fell silent for a profoundly moving memorial ahead of the contest as a bell ceremony rang in memory of local hero Hatton, who died 46 years old in September.
It was the first major televised fight night in the city since Hatton's death. As the last bell disappeared, the quiet gave way to a shout of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The fighting within the ring reflected the sentiment. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a left hook directly to the jaw in the second round, getting up unsteadily to his footing on the eight count.
But the red-colored equipment of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. Across the ring, Rea - in competitive blue - was injured quickly, significant bruising appearing under his face as the pair exchanged hard punches.
The challenger, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, 34, matched the intensity with powerful upward punches as the pace rarely dropped over twelve rounds.
The victor narrowly won the decision with judges scorecards of even score, close margin and clearer margin, but each competitor were determined and full of heart, exactly what their inspiration the legend represented.
