UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet unimpressive start 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 judges' verdict in a close ten-round contest at the boxing arena.
But the challenger had his moments, connecting with powerful individual punches in a fight where the approaches never quite clicked, with excessive holding marring the contest.
Two judges had it 96-94 to the winner, with the third a 95-95.
"It wasn't my best performance but what do champions do? They prevail," Buatsi said in the ring as he was faced disapproval from the crowd.
The Londoner bounced back after his first professional defeat - an epic battle with his previous opponent in last winter - to secure a 20th pro success.
Several boxing experts thought Parker, thirty-one, should have been awarded the win but the contender experienced the second defeat of his 28-match professional journey.
Buatsi Secures Win in Uneventful Match
His career development has plateaued in recent years through contract problems and extended periods of inactivity.
Once tipped as the future of UK boxing, he now stands trying to achieve expectations - maybe in what appears to be a final roll of the dice - under recent support.
He began cautiously, with neither fighter willing to take risks in a calculated initial rounds.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after suffering a hand injury mid-fight, was participating in his second appearance at light heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had made it competitive, causing problems for the favorite, who worked behind a tight guard to barely take the cleaner stanzas.
The crowd's patience decreased amid constant clinching, with Parker slipping to the canvas various instances during grappling.
The underdog ended stronger, but many rounds were difficult to score. Although, former world champion Carl Frampton - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for the challenger, awarding Buatsi just only one stanza.
The victor moves on, but with the likes of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the journey to titles - judging by this showing - still looks steep.
Ricky Hatton Tribute Fuels All-Manchester Fight
In the secondary fight, Arthur beat Rea by divided decision in a outstanding Manchester vs Manchester battle to capture the European light heavyweight title.
The stadium grew hushed for a deeply poignant tribute prior to the bout as a bell ceremony tolled in honor of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in last month.
It was the initial significant broadcast match card in the urban center since Hatton's death. As the final chime disappeared, the silence transitioned to a roar of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The fighting during the bout matched the feeling. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a powerful punch squarely on the chin in the second round, standing uncertainly to his footing on the eight count.
But the traditional red shorts of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in opposing blue - was marked up soon, heavy swelling appearing under his face as the duo landed hard punches.
Rea, 27, landed power punches but Arthur, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with powerful upward punches as the intensity rarely dropped over twelve rounds.
Arthur narrowly won the verdict with official scores of 114-114, 115-113 and 115-112, but each competitor were determined and brave, all the qualities their idol Hatton embodied.
