British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet unimpressive 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 seemingly secured him a majority decision in a competitive 10-round fight at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger found success, connecting with powerful single shots in a fight where the approaches failed to mesh, with frequent clinching marring the contest.
The scoring judges had it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the final judge a 95-95.
"It wasn't my greatest performance but what defines champions? They win," Buatsi stated in the ringside as he was greeted with negative reactions from the spectators.
The British fighter got back to winning after his initial pro loss - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in February - to secure a twentieth professional win.
Several boxing experts believed Parker, 31, deserved the victory but the British boxer experienced the second defeat of his 28-match professional journey.
Buatsi Earns Victory in Uneventful Match
The fighter's advancement has plateaued in recent times through management issues and considerable time of lack of fights.
Earlier forecast as the future of the British fight scene, he now is positioned trying to realize his potential - perhaps in what seems like a last chance - under recent support.
He began cautiously, with neither fighter willing to overcommit in a calculated opening few rounds.
Parker, whose only previous defeat came at the lower weight class against John Ryder in two years ago after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was making just his second bout at light-heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, the underdog had made it competitive, causing problems for the favorite, who worked behind a solid defense to barely take the cleaner periods.
The audience's tolerance diminished amid frequent holding, with the challenger falling to the floor various instances during clinches.
The underdog ended stronger, but many rounds were challenging to assess. Nevertheless, ex-champion the boxing analyst - commentating on Dazn - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, awarding Buatsi just one round.
The victor progresses, but with the likes of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the journey to titles - based on this performance - still looks steep.
Ricky Hatton Homage Fuels Local Rivalry Battle
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur defeated Rea by split-decision in a outstanding local rivalry fight to secure the continental championship.
The stadium grew hushed for a profoundly moving memorial ahead of the contest as 10 bells rang in remembrance of the city's native Ricky Hatton, who passed away at age 46 in September.
It was the initial significant broadcast fight night in the urban center since Hatton's passing. As the concluding sound faded, the stillness transitioned to a shout of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The competition within the ring reflected the sentiment. The eventual winner was knocked down by a significant blow directly to the face in the early round, rising shakily to his position on the eight count.
But the red-colored shorts of Arthur soon came forward again. From the other corner, the opponent - in competitive blue - was injured early, noticeable damage developing under his orbital area as the fighters traded hard punches.
Rea, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the pace hardly diminished over 12 rounds.
The victor edged the decision with official scores of even score, close margin and clearer margin, but each competitor were relentless and courageous, exactly what their inspiration Hatton stood for.
