British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet underwhelming start to his career under recent management with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's punch output seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a tight ten-round fight at the Manchester venue.
But Parker landed significant shots, delivering effective clean blows in a contest where the styles never quite clicked, with frequent clinching spoiling the contest.
The officials judged it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the final judge a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my best showing but what do champions do? They win," Buatsi commented in the arena as he was faced boos from the audience.
The British fighter bounced back after his maiden career setback - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a 20th pro success.
Some ringside observers thought Parker, 31, merited the win but the British boxer experienced the second defeat of his 28-bout career.
The Champion Claims Victory in Uneventful Affair
The fighter's advancement has stalled in recent times through management issues and considerable time of inactivity.
Previously predicted as the future of the British fight scene, he now finds himself trying to fulfil that early promise - possibly in what seems like a final roll of the dice - under recent support.
He started carefully, with both competitors prepared to be aggressive in a calculated opening few rounds.
The challenger, whose sole prior loss came at the lower weight class against John Ryder in 2022 after breaking his hand in the contest, was participating in his second fight at light heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, the underdog had stayed in contention, causing problems for Buatsi, who operated with a tight guard to narrowly win the cleaner rounds.
The crowd's patience decreased amid constant clinching, with Parker going down multiple occasions during close exchanges.
The underdog ended stronger, but many rounds were difficult to score. However, former world champion Carl Frampton - working with the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just a single round.
The victor progresses, but with the likes of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - on this evidence - still appears challenging.
Ricky Hatton Memorial Inspires Manchester Derby Battle
In the co-main event, Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by divided decision in a terrific local rivalry battle to capture the European light heavyweight title.
The arena grew hushed for a deeply poignant homage ahead of the contest as a bell ceremony sounded in remembrance of local hero Ricky Hatton, who passed away 46 years old in recently.
It was the initial significant broadcast match card in the location since Hatton's death. As the final chime disappeared, the stillness gave way to a roar of "there's just one Hatton".
The competition within the ring equaled the feeling. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a left hook flush on the jaw in the initial stage, rising shakily to his footing on the referee's count.
But the red-colored equipment of the fighter soon advanced again. From the other corner, Rea - in competitive blue - was marked up soon, heavy swelling forming under his orbital area as the pair landed punishing blows.
The challenger, 27, delivered effective strikes but the champion, 34, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the intensity seldom decreased over twelve rounds.
Arthur edged the decision with official scores of draw, 115-113 and 115-112, but each competitor were persistent and courageous, everything their inspiration Hatton represented.
