British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet disappointing beginning to his career under fresh promotional backing with a decision win over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's activity level seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a close 10-round fight at the Co-op Live Arena.
But Parker had his moments, connecting with powerful individual punches in a contest where the approaches failed to mesh, with constant grabbing disrupting the fight.
The officials had it 96-94 in favor to the winner, with the final judge a even score.
"It wasn't my best performance but what defines champions? They win," the victor said in the ring as he was greeted with boos from the audience.
The Londoner returned to winning ways after his first professional defeat - an memorable fight with his previous opponent in last winter - to earn a twentieth professional win.
Various analysts thought Parker, thirty-one, merited the decision but the contender experienced the second setback of his 28-match professional journey.
The Champion Earns Victory in Slow Encounter
His career development has slowed in recent times through contract problems and long spells of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the next star of the British fight scene, he now is positioned trying to achieve expectations - maybe in what feels like a ultimate opportunity - under fresh management.
He started carefully, with neither fighter prepared to overcommit in a tentative early stages.
Parker, whose only previous defeat came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after damaging his hand mid-fight, was participating in his second appearance at light-heavyweight.
By the halfway stage, Parker had made it competitive, causing problems for the favorite, who worked behind a solid defense to narrowly win the more effective periods.
The spectators' acceptance wore thin amid regular grabbing, with Parker slipping to the canvas various instances during grappling.
The underdog finished the stronger, but multiple periods were difficult to score. However, ex-champion the boxing analyst - working with the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just a single round.
The victor advances, but with the caliber of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Bivol leading the category, the road to world glory - on this evidence - still looks steep.
Hatton Memorial Inspires All-Manchester Battle
In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by split-decision in a excellent local rivalry fight to capture the European light heavyweight championship.
The venue grew hushed for a profoundly moving homage prior to the bout as 10 bells rang in remembrance of local hero Ricky Hatton, who passed away at age 46 in recently.
It was the first major televised boxing event in the city since the passing of Hatton. As the last bell ended, the stillness transitioned to a chant of "only one Hatton".
The fighting inside the ropes reflected the emotion. The eventual winner was knocked down by a left hook flush on the jaw in the initial stage, getting up unsteadily to his position on the eight count.
But the Manchester United-red equipment of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. From the other corner, Rea - in opposing blue - was marked up soon, noticeable damage appearing under his face as the duo landed hard punches.
The challenger, twenty-seven, landed power punches but the champion, thirty-four, matched the intensity with effective uppercuts as the action rarely dropped over 12 rounds.
The victor barely secured the verdict with judges scorecards of 114-114, narrow lead and 115-112, but both fighters were persistent and courageous, everything their hero Hatton stood for.
