British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet underwhelming start to his career under recent management with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level appeared to earn him a split decision in a close ten-round fight at the Manchester venue.
But the challenger had his moments, connecting with powerful single shots in a match where the styles didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing disrupting the action.
The scoring judges scored it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the final judge a 95-95.
"It wasn't my greatest performance but how do champions respond? They win," Buatsi commented in the ringside as he was faced disapproval from the spectators.
The Londoner got back to winning after his maiden career setback - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in last winter - to secure a twentieth professional win.
Several boxing experts believed Parker, 31, deserved the win but the contender suffered the second loss of his 28-match professional journey.
Buatsi Earns Triumph in Uneventful Match
Buatsi's progress has slowed in the past few years through promotional disputes and long spells of inactivity.
Previously predicted as the future of British boxing, he now finds himself trying to fulfil that early promise - perhaps in what appears to be a last chance - under new promotional backing.
He opened tentatively, with both competitors willing to overcommit in a calculated early stages.
The challenger, whose sole prior loss came at super middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after damaging his hand in the contest, was competing in only his second appearance at the higher weight class.
By the halfway stage, the underdog had kept it close, causing problems for Buatsi, who worked behind a protective stance to narrowly win the better rounds.
The crowd's patience decreased amid constant clinching, with the challenger slipping to the canvas several times during close exchanges.
Parker finished the stronger, but multiple periods were difficult to score. Although, ex-champion Carl Frampton - working with the broadcast network - had it significantly in favor for the challenger, giving Buatsi just a single round.
The victor progresses, but with the likes of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Bivol ruling the division, the journey to titles - based on this performance - still seems difficult.
Ricky Hatton Tribute Fuels All-Manchester Contest
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur defeated Rea by divided decision in a outstanding Manchester vs Manchester fight to capture the European light heavyweight championship.
The stadium fell silent for a profoundly moving homage ahead of the contest as 10 bells rang in remembrance of local hero Hatton, who succumbed at age 46 in last month.
It was the initial significant broadcast match card in the location since Hatton's passing. As the final chime disappeared, the quiet gave way to a roar of "there's only one Hatton".
The action during the bout equaled the emotion. The eventual winner was knocked down by a left hook directly to the chin in the early round, standing uncertainly to his feet on the count of eight.
But the red-colored attire of the fighter soon came forward again. From the other corner, the opponent - in competitive blue - was marked up quickly, noticeable damage developing under his face as the duo landed powerful shots.
Rea, 27, connected with strong blows but Arthur, 34, matched the intensity with effective uppercuts as the pace hardly diminished over the full distance.
The victor narrowly won the decision with scoring tallies of even score, 115-113 and clearer margin, but both fighters were relentless and full of heart, everything their idol Hatton stood for.
