British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet unimpressive start to life under fresh promotional backing with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's work rate seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a close ten-round fight at the Manchester venue.
But Parker had his moments, delivering effective individual punches in a fight where the styles never quite clicked, with excessive holding disrupting the fight.
The officials scored it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the final judge a even score.
"It wasn't my finest showing but what defines champions? They win," the victor commented in the arena as he was faced negative reactions from the crowd.
The British fighter bounced back after his maiden career setback - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a 20th career victory.
Various analysts felt Parker, thirty-one, should have been awarded the win but the Derbyshire fighter suffered the second setback of his 28-match professional journey.
The Champion Claims Triumph in Slow Match
The fighter's advancement has plateaued in the past few years through contract problems and considerable time of inactivity.
Once tipped as the rising talent of UK boxing, he now is positioned trying to realize his potential - maybe in what seems like a ultimate opportunity - under recent support.
He began cautiously, with neither fighter prepared to take risks in a tentative opening few rounds.
Parker, whose single earlier setback came at super middleweight against John Ryder in two years ago after breaking his hand during the bout, was participating in his second appearance at light-heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, the underdog had stayed in contention, creating difficulties for the favorite, who utilized a protective stance to edge the cleaner rounds.
The spectators' acceptance wore thin during constant clinching, with Parker going down various instances during clinches.
Parker closed well, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. However, former world champion the boxing analyst - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it significantly in favor for the challenger, giving Buatsi just only one stanza.
Buatsi moves on, but with the likes of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Russian champion Bivol dominating the weight class, the journey to titles - based on this performance - still appears challenging.
Hatton Memorial Fuels Local Rivalry Battle
In the secondary fight, Arthur beat Rea by split-decision in a outstanding local rivalry battle to secure the continental belt.
The venue grew hushed for a profoundly moving tribute prior to the bout as ten bells sounded in remembrance of local hero Ricky Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in recently.
It was the first major televised fight night in the urban center since the passing of Hatton. As the concluding sound disappeared, the stillness transitioned to a shout of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".
The action during the bout reflected the emotion. Arthur was floored by a significant blow flush on the face in the initial stage, getting up unsteadily to his feet on the eight count.
But the Manchester United-red equipment of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. Across the ring, the opponent - in competitive blue - was marked up quickly, noticeable damage appearing under his eye as the duo traded powerful shots.
The challenger, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, 34, matched the intensity with effective uppercuts as the action rarely dropped over 12 rounds.
Arthur barely secured the result with official scores of 114-114, close margin and clearer margin, but both fighters were relentless and courageous, exactly what their idol Hatton embodied.
