UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet unimpressive start to his career under fresh promotional backing with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's punch output seemingly secured him a majority decision in a tight ten-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger had his moments, landing some telling clean blows in a contest where the styles didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing marring the fight.
Two judges judged it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the third a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my finest showing but how do champions respond? They succeed," Buatsi stated in the ring as he was met by negative reactions from the audience.
The Londoner got back to winning after his maiden career setback - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in last winter - to claim a 20th career victory.
Several boxing experts felt the challenger, 31, should have been awarded the win but the Derbyshire fighter experienced the second setback of his 28-fight professional journey.
Buatsi Earns Triumph in Slow Encounter
His career development has slowed in recent times through management issues and considerable time of inactivity.
Previously predicted as the next star of UK boxing, he now is positioned trying to achieve expectations - maybe in what feels like a ultimate opportunity - under recent support.
He opened tentatively, with the two boxers willing to take risks in a cagey early stages.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super middleweight against John Ryder in two years ago after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was participating in his second fight at light-heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, Parker had made it competitive, causing problems for Buatsi, who utilized a solid defense to edge the better stanzas.
The audience's tolerance wore thin amid constant clinching, with Parker falling to the floor multiple occasions during close exchanges.
The underdog ended stronger, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. Nevertheless, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - working with Dazn - had it strongly leaning for Parker, giving Buatsi just a single round.
Buatsi moves on, but with the caliber of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Bivol ruling the division, the journey to titles - based on this performance - still looks steep.
Ricky Hatton Memorial Fuels Local Rivalry Battle
In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by split-decision in a terrific all-Manchester contest to secure the continental title.
The venue became quiet for a deeply poignant homage before the fight as a bell ceremony rang in remembrance of local hero Hatton, who died at age 46 in last month.
It was the premier televised match card in the city since the passing of Hatton. As the final chime ended, the stillness became a roar of "there's just one Hatton".
The fighting inside the ropes matched the feeling. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a left hook directly to the face in the second round, rising shakily to his position on the count of eight.
But the red-colored equipment of Arthur soon came forward again. On the opposite side, Rea - in rival City blue - was damaged quickly, noticeable damage appearing under his face as the duo exchanged powerful shots.
Rea, 27, landed power punches but Arthur, 34, matched the intensity with effective uppercuts as the action seldom decreased over twelve rounds.
The victor narrowly won the decision with official scores of 114-114, narrow lead and 115-112, but the two athletes were persistent and full of heart, everything their inspiration the legend represented.
