British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet disappointing start to his career under new promoters with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic bronze medallist's punch output likely gained him a judges' verdict in a tight 10-round fight at the boxing arena.
But Parker had his moments, landing some telling single shots in a contest where the techniques didn't complement each other, with excessive holding marring the fight.
Two judges scored it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the remaining official a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my best showing but what defines champions? They win," Buatsi commented in the arena as he was met by boos from the audience.
The British fighter got back to winning after his first professional defeat - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in February - to claim a twentieth professional win.
Some ringside observers thought the challenger, thirty-one, should have been awarded the victory but the British boxer endured the second setback of his 28-bout career.
The Champion Claims Victory in Dull Encounter
His career development has stalled in recent years through management issues and long spells of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the rising talent of the British fight scene, he now is positioned trying to realize his potential - maybe in what seems like a final roll of the dice - under fresh management.
He started carefully, with the two boxers willing to overcommit in a calculated early stages.
The challenger, whose single earlier setback came at super middleweight against his former opponent in two years ago after suffering a hand injury mid-fight, was participating in his second fight at the higher weight class.
By the fight's midpoint, Parker had made it competitive, making life awkward for Buatsi, who utilized a solid defense to narrowly win the better stanzas.
The audience's tolerance wore thin amid frequent holding, with the challenger going down various instances during clinches.
Parker ended stronger, but many rounds were difficult to score. Nevertheless, former world champion Carl Frampton - commentating on the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just a single round.
The victor advances, but with the likes of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the road to world glory - judging by this showing - still looks steep.
Ricky Hatton Memorial Fuels All-Manchester Battle
In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur overcame Rea by split-decision in a outstanding Manchester vs Manchester contest to capture the continental belt.
The arena grew hushed for a deeply poignant memorial ahead of the contest as a bell ceremony sounded in memory of local hero Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in September.
It was the initial significant broadcast match card in the urban center since Hatton's death. As the concluding sound disappeared, the quiet gave way to a shout of "there's only one Hatton".
The competition during the bout equaled the emotion. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a significant blow flush on the jaw in the early round, getting up unsteadily to his position on the referee's count.
But the traditional red shorts of the fighter soon advanced again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in opposing blue - was marked up early, noticeable damage forming under his orbital area as the fighters exchanged powerful shots.
The challenger, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but the champion, 34, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the pace hardly diminished over 12 rounds.
Arthur narrowly won the verdict with official scores of even score, close margin and clearer margin, but both fighters were persistent and brave, exactly what their idol Hatton embodied.
