UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet unimpressive debut to his career under recent management with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's punch output appeared to earn him a majority decision in a competitive 10-round fight at the Manchester venue.
But Parker landed significant shots, landing some telling single shots in a fight where the styles didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing marring the action.
The officials judged it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the third a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my greatest showing but what defines champions? They prevail," the victor stated in the ringside as he was met by boos from the audience.
The British fighter got back to winning after his maiden career setback - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in last winter - to claim a 20th pro success.
Some ringside observers believed Parker, thirty-one, deserved the win but the contender experienced the second defeat of his 28-match career.
The Champion Earns Victory in Dull Encounter
His career development has stalled in recent times through promotional disputes and long spells of lack of fights.
Previously predicted as the rising talent of British boxing, he now finds himself trying to realize his potential - possibly in what seems like a final roll of the dice - under recent support.
He opened tentatively, with both competitors prepared to overcommit in a cagey early stages.
The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in two years ago after damaging his hand in the contest, was making just his second appearance at light-heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, Parker had made it competitive, creating difficulties for the favorite, who worked behind a protective stance to barely take the cleaner rounds.
The crowd's patience decreased amid regular grabbing, with Parker slipping to the canvas multiple occasions during grappling.
The underdog finished the stronger, but several stanzas were hard to judge. However, former world champion Carl Frampton - providing analysis for Dazn - had it particularly wide for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just one round.
Buatsi progresses, but with the caliber of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - on this evidence - still appears challenging.
Ricky Hatton Memorial Fuels All-Manchester Fight
In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur beat Bradley Rea by divided decision in a excellent all-Manchester battle to secure the European light heavyweight title.
The venue became quiet for a profoundly moving tribute prior to the bout as 10 bells tolled in honor of local hero Ricky Hatton, who passed away at age 46 in last month.
It was the first major televised match card in the city since the passing of Hatton. As the final chime faded, the silence transitioned to a chant of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The fighting during the bout matched the feeling. Arthur was floored by a left hook directly to the chin in the second round, getting up unsteadily to his footing on the eight count.
But the Manchester United-red attire of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, Rea - in competitive blue - was damaged quickly, heavy swelling forming under his eye as the duo traded hard punches.
The challenger, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but Arthur, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the action hardly diminished over the full distance.
Arthur barely secured the decision with scoring tallies of 114-114, 115-113 and wider gap, but both fighters were relentless and full of heart, all the qualities their idol Hatton embodied.
