British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet unimpressive debut to life under new promoters with a decision win over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level appeared to earn him a judges' verdict in a competitive 10-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.
But Parker landed significant shots, delivering effective individual punches in a contest where the techniques failed to mesh, with constant grabbing disrupting the contest.
Two judges scored it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the remaining official a 95-95.
"It wasn't my best showing but how do champions respond? They win," the victor said in the ringside as he was greeted with negative reactions from the audience.
The Londoner returned to winning ways after his first professional defeat - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a 20th career victory.
Several boxing experts believed the challenger, 31, merited the win but the contender experienced the second setback of his 28-fight professional journey.
Buatsi Earns Victory in Dull Encounter
Buatsi's progress has stalled in the past few years through management issues and extended periods of lack of fights.
Previously predicted as the next star of the British fight scene, he now finds himself trying to realize his potential - perhaps in what appears to be a final roll of the dice - under recent support.
He started carefully, with both competitors willing to be aggressive in a tentative initial rounds.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super middleweight against his former opponent in two years ago after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was making just his second appearance at light heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, the underdog had made it competitive, causing problems for the favorite, who worked behind a protective stance to edge the better stanzas.
The crowd's patience diminished because of frequent holding, with the challenger going down several times during clinches.
The underdog closed well, but many rounds were challenging to assess. Although, former world champion Carl Frampton - providing analysis for Dazn - had it significantly in favor for Parker, giving Buatsi just one round.
Buatsi moves on, but with the likes of hard hitter Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the road to world glory - based on this performance - still appears challenging.
Hatton Memorial Inspires Local Rivalry Contest
In the secondary fight, Arthur overcame Rea by close verdict in a terrific Manchester vs Manchester fight to capture the European light-heavyweight belt.
The stadium became quiet for a profoundly moving memorial prior to the bout as ten bells rang in memory of local hero Ricky Hatton, who passed away 46 years old in September.
It was the premier televised boxing event in the location since Hatton's death. As the final chime ended, the quiet became a roar of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".
The action during the bout equaled the sentiment. Arthur was knocked down by a significant blow directly to the chin in the second round, standing uncertainly to his position on the referee's count.
But the Manchester United-red equipment of the fighter soon came forward again. Across the ring, the opponent - in opposing blue - was injured early, noticeable damage forming under his eye as the duo traded hard punches.
Rea, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but the champion, thirty-four, matched the intensity with powerful upward punches as the action rarely dropped over 12 rounds.
The victor narrowly won the result with judges scorecards of draw, close margin and clearer margin, but both fighters were persistent and brave, everything their inspiration Hatton embodied.
