UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet underwhelming beginning to life under recent management with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's work rate likely gained him a judges' verdict in a close ten-round bout at the boxing arena.
But Parker found success, landing some telling single shots in a contest where the techniques didn't complement each other, with excessive holding disrupting the contest.
The scoring judges judged it 96-94 for to the winner, with the remaining official a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my best performance but how do champions respond? They win," the victor said in the arena as he was greeted with disapproval from the crowd.
The British fighter got back to winning after his first professional defeat - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in last winter - to claim a 20th pro success.
Some ringside observers believed the challenger, 31, deserved the victory but the contender experienced the second setback of his 28-fight professional journey.
The Champion Secures Victory in Uneventful Affair
The fighter's advancement has stalled in the past few years through contract problems and extended periods of inactivity.
Once tipped as the future of British boxing, he now finds himself trying to fulfil that early promise - maybe in what appears to be a last chance - under fresh management.
He started carefully, with neither fighter ready to take risks in a cagey early stages.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in 2022 after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was making just his second bout at light heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had kept it close, creating difficulties for Buatsi, who worked behind a solid defense to narrowly win the better periods.
The crowd's patience wore thin amid constant clinching, with the challenger going down multiple occasions during close exchanges.
Parker ended stronger, but multiple periods were hard to judge. Although, former world champion the boxing analyst - commentating on the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, giving Buatsi just one round.
The victor moves on, but with the presence of power puncher Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Bivol dominating the weight class, the journey to titles - based on this performance - still seems difficult.
Ricky Hatton Homage Motivates All-Manchester Contest
In the supporting bout, Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by close verdict in a excellent local rivalry contest to secure the European light heavyweight belt.
The arena fell silent for a profoundly moving homage ahead of the contest as 10 bells tolled in memory of local hero Ricky Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in recently.
It was the premier televised fight night in the urban center since Hatton's passing. As the concluding sound faded, the quiet transitioned to a shout of "only one Hatton".
The fighting inside the ropes equaled the feeling. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a powerful punch flush on the face in the second round, rising shakily to his feet on the referee's count.
But the Manchester United-red attire of Arthur soon advanced again. Across the ring, the opponent - in competitive blue - was damaged quickly, heavy swelling forming under his orbital area as the duo landed hard punches.
Rea, twenty-seven, landed power punches but the champion, 34, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the intensity rarely dropped over the full distance.
The victor barely secured the verdict with scoring tallies of draw, 115-113 and clearer margin, but both fighters were determined and brave, all the qualities their hero the legend represented.
