British 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 work rate likely gained him a split decision in a competitive ten-round contest at the Manchester venue.
But Parker found success, delivering effective individual punches in a contest where the techniques never quite clicked, with excessive holding marring the contest.
Two judges had it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the third a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my best performance but how do champions respond? They prevail," Buatsi commented in the ringside as he was met by boos from the spectators.
The Londoner bounced back after his maiden career setback - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a 20th career victory.
Several boxing experts believed the challenger, thirty-one, should have been awarded the win but the contender endured the second loss of his 28-match professional journey.
Buatsi Secures Triumph in Slow Match
Buatsi's progress has plateaued in recent years through contract problems and long spells of lack of fights.
Earlier forecast as the future of the British fight scene, he now finds himself trying to achieve expectations - possibly in what appears to be a last chance - under fresh management.
He began cautiously, with neither fighter ready to be aggressive in a cagey opening few rounds.
The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at super middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after breaking his hand in the contest, was competing in only his second appearance at light-heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, Parker had kept it close, creating difficulties for the favorite, who operated with a solid defense to edge the better stanzas.
The spectators' acceptance decreased amid regular grabbing, with the challenger slipping to the canvas multiple occasions during grappling.
The underdog closed well, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. Nevertheless, ex-champion Carl Frampton - providing analysis for Dazn - had it significantly in favor for the challenger, giving Buatsi just only one stanza.
Buatsi advances, but with the presence of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Russian champion Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - based on this performance - still appears challenging.
Ricky Hatton Memorial Inspires All-Manchester Battle
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by close verdict in a excellent Manchester vs Manchester contest to capture the European light heavyweight title.
The arena fell silent for a extremely emotional tribute before the fight as 10 bells sounded in memory of local hero Ricky Hatton, who succumbed aged 46 in September.
It was the premier televised match card in the city since Hatton's passing. As the last bell disappeared, the stillness transitioned to a chant of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".
The competition during the bout matched the feeling. The eventual winner was knocked down by a significant blow directly to the face in the early round, getting up unsteadily to his footing on the count of eight.
But the traditional red equipment of the fighter soon advanced again. From the other corner, the opponent - in competitive blue - was injured soon, significant bruising developing under his face as the fighters landed powerful shots.
Rea, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but the champion, thirty-four, responded in kind with effective uppercuts as the intensity hardly diminished over the full distance.
Arthur edged the verdict with scoring tallies of draw, narrow lead and clearer margin, but each competitor were determined and courageous, all the qualities their hero the legend represented.
