British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet underwhelming beginning to his career under recent management with a decision win over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's activity level seemingly secured him a split decision in a close ten-round fight at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger had his moments, landing some telling clean blows in a contest where the approaches didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing disrupting the action.
The officials had it 96-94 in favor to the winner, with the third a 95-95.
"It wasn't my finest performance but what defines champions? They succeed," Buatsi commented in the ringside as he was greeted with disapproval from the crowd.
The Londoner bounced back after his maiden career setback - an epic battle with his previous opponent in February - to claim a 20th pro success.
Some ringside observers thought Parker, thirty-one, merited the victory but the contender endured the second loss of his 28-match professional journey.
Buatsi Earns Victory in Slow Encounter
The fighter's advancement has plateaued in the past few years through promotional disputes and extended periods of inactivity.
Previously predicted as the future of the British fight scene, he now stands trying to achieve expectations - maybe in what seems like a ultimate opportunity - under new promotional backing.
He started carefully, with both competitors prepared to be aggressive in a tentative early stages.
The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in 2022 after damaging his hand in the contest, was making just his second fight at the higher weight class.
By the halfway stage, Parker had kept it close, creating difficulties for Buatsi, who worked behind a solid defense to barely take the more effective rounds.
The crowd's patience wore thin amid regular grabbing, with Parker going down various instances during close exchanges.
The underdog closed well, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. Nevertheless, previous titleholder Carl Frampton - working with Dazn - had it particularly wide for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just only one stanza.
The victor advances, but with the likes of power puncher Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol leading the category, the road to world glory - on this evidence - still seems difficult.
Ricky Hatton Memorial Inspires Local Rivalry Contest
In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by split-decision in a excellent local rivalry contest to win the European light heavyweight belt.
The venue became quiet for a profoundly moving memorial ahead of the contest as 10 bells sounded in memory of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who died 46 years old in September.
It was the first major televised boxing event in the location since the passing of Hatton. As the final chime ended, the quiet gave way to a shout of "there's just one Hatton".
The action within the ring reflected the emotion. The eventual winner was knocked down by a left hook squarely on the jaw in the early round, standing uncertainly to his footing on the eight count.
But the Manchester United-red equipment of Arthur soon came forward again. On the opposite side, Rea - in rival City blue - was damaged quickly, heavy swelling appearing under his eye as the pair landed punishing blows.
The challenger, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but the champion, 34, responded in kind with stinging uppercuts as the action hardly diminished over 12 rounds.
The victor barely secured the decision with judges scorecards of draw, 115-113 and wider gap, but both fighters were determined and full of heart, all the qualities their inspiration Hatton represented.
