British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming start to life under new promoters with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic bronze medallist's work rate seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a tight ten-round contest at the Manchester venue.
But the challenger had his moments, delivering effective single shots in a match where the approaches failed to mesh, with frequent clinching spoiling the fight.
The scoring judges judged it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the final judge a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my finest performance but what do champions do? They prevail," the victor said in the arena as he was met by negative reactions from the audience.
The British fighter returned to winning ways after his initial pro loss - an epic battle with Callum Smith in February - to earn a 20th career victory.
Various analysts thought Parker, 31, deserved the decision but the Derbyshire fighter experienced the second loss of his 28-match career.
The Champion Earns Win in Slow Encounter
His career development has slowed in the past few years through management issues and considerable time of inactivity.
Once tipped as the next star of British boxing, he now finds himself trying to achieve expectations - maybe in what appears to be a ultimate opportunity - under recent support.
He started carefully, with neither fighter ready to take risks in a cagey initial rounds.
Parker, whose only previous defeat came at the lower weight class against John Ryder in 2022 after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was making just his second bout at light heavyweight.
By the halfway stage, the underdog had made it competitive, making life awkward for the favorite, who worked behind a solid defense to edge the more effective periods.
The crowd's patience diminished because of constant clinching, with the challenger slipping to the canvas several times during clinches.
The underdog finished the stronger, but multiple periods were hard to judge. Nevertheless, ex-champion Carl Frampton - working with Dazn - had it strongly leaning for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just a single round.
Buatsi advances, but with the caliber of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the journey to titles - based on this performance - still appears challenging.
Hatton Homage Fuels All-Manchester Battle
In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by divided decision in a excellent local rivalry fight to capture the European light heavyweight title.
The venue became quiet for a deeply poignant tribute before the fight as a bell ceremony rang in remembrance of Manchester's own Hatton, who succumbed at age 46 in September.
It was the initial significant broadcast match card in the location since Hatton's passing. As the last bell faded, the stillness gave way to a roar of "there's only one Hatton".
The action within the ring matched the feeling. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a powerful punch flush on the face in the initial stage, standing uncertainly to his feet on the count of eight.
But the red-colored equipment of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, Rea - in competitive blue - was marked up early, noticeable damage forming under his eye as the duo exchanged powerful shots.
The challenger, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but the champion, 34, matched the intensity with powerful upward punches as the action seldom decreased over 12 rounds.
Arthur narrowly won the decision with official scores of draw, narrow lead and clearer margin, but each competitor were persistent and courageous, all the qualities their inspiration Hatton stood for.
