British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet disappointing beginning to life under new promoters with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's work rate appeared to earn him a split decision in a tight 10-round bout at the boxing arena.
But Parker found success, delivering effective individual punches in a match where the styles didn't complement each other, with excessive holding disrupting the contest.
The officials scored it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the third a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my greatest performance but what defines champions? They succeed," Buatsi said in the ringside as he was faced disapproval from the spectators.
The Londoner got back to winning after his first professional defeat - an epic battle with Callum Smith in last winter - to claim a twentieth professional win.
Various analysts felt the challenger, thirty-one, merited the victory but the contender experienced the second setback of his 28-match professional journey.
Buatsi Secures Win in Slow Match
The fighter's advancement has slowed in recent years through contract problems and extended periods of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the rising talent of the British fight scene, he now stands trying to achieve expectations - perhaps in what feels like a final roll of the dice - under fresh management.
He opened tentatively, with neither fighter ready to be aggressive in a tentative early stages.
The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after breaking his hand mid-fight, was making just his second appearance at light heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had made it competitive, making life awkward for Buatsi, who operated with a protective stance to edge the more effective rounds.
The crowd's patience wore thin amid frequent holding, with Parker going down several times during close exchanges.
The underdog closed well, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. However, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - commentating on Dazn - had it strongly leaning for Parker, giving Buatsi just only one stanza.
Buatsi advances, but with the presence of hard hitter Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol dominating the weight class, the road to world glory - on this evidence - still appears challenging.
Hatton Tribute Fuels Local Rivalry Contest
In the supporting bout, Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by close verdict in a terrific local rivalry battle to secure the European light heavyweight championship.
The stadium became quiet for a profoundly moving tribute before the fight as 10 bells sounded in honor of the city's native Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in recently.
It was the first major televised match card in the location since Hatton's passing. As the final chime ended, the quiet gave way to a roar of "there's only one Hatton".
The fighting within the ring reflected the feeling. The eventual winner was knocked down by a significant blow directly to the jaw in the second round, standing uncertainly to his position on the eight count.
But the red-colored equipment of the fighter soon came forward again. From the other corner, Rea - in rival City blue - was damaged quickly, significant bruising developing under his face as the duo landed hard punches.
The challenger, 27, connected with strong blows but Arthur, thirty-four, matched the intensity with powerful upward punches as the intensity hardly diminished over the full distance.
The victor edged the decision with official scores of draw, close margin and wider gap, but each competitor were persistent and full of heart, all the qualities their hero the legend stood for.
