British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet unimpressive debut to life under recent management with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a tight 10-round bout at the Manchester venue.
But Parker found success, landing some telling single shots in a fight where the techniques didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing spoiling the fight.
The officials judged it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the final judge a 95-95.
"It wasn't my best showing but what defines champions? They win," the victor stated in the ring as he was faced disapproval from the crowd.
The British fighter got back to winning after his initial pro loss - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in last winter - to claim a 20th pro success.
Various analysts felt the challenger, thirty-one, should have been awarded the decision but the British boxer endured the second loss of his 28-bout professional journey.
The Champion Earns Victory in Dull Encounter
His career development has slowed in the past few years through contract problems and extended periods of inactivity.
Previously predicted as the future of UK boxing, he now stands trying to fulfil that early promise - possibly in what feels like a final roll of the dice - under fresh management.
He began cautiously, with the two boxers willing to be aggressive in a tentative initial rounds.
The challenger, whose sole prior loss came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after suffering a hand injury in the contest, was participating in his second fight at the higher weight class.
By the middle rounds, the underdog had kept it close, causing problems for the favorite, who operated with a solid defense to edge the better rounds.
The audience's tolerance diminished amid frequent holding, with the challenger going down multiple occasions during clinches.
The underdog finished the stronger, but several stanzas were hard to judge. Nevertheless, former world champion the boxing analyst - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for the challenger, awarding Buatsi just a single round.
Buatsi moves on, but with the caliber of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the road to world glory - based on this performance - still seems difficult.
Hatton Tribute Fuels Local Rivalry Fight
In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur beat Rea by split-decision in a terrific Manchester vs Manchester contest to secure the European light heavyweight championship.
The arena grew hushed for a extremely emotional homage prior to the bout as a bell ceremony rang in honor of local hero Ricky Hatton, who died at age 46 in recently.
It was the premier televised fight night in the location since Hatton's death. As the concluding sound disappeared, the silence transitioned to a chant of "there's just one Hatton".
The competition during the bout matched the sentiment. The eventual winner was knocked down by a left hook flush on the jaw in the initial stage, rising shakily to his feet on the eight count.
But the Manchester United-red attire of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. From the other corner, the opponent - in opposing blue - was marked up quickly, significant bruising developing under his orbital area as the fighters traded punishing blows.
Rea, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but the champion, thirty-four, matched the intensity with effective uppercuts as the action seldom decreased over the full distance.
Arthur edged the result with official scores of 114-114, 115-113 and 115-112, but the two athletes were relentless and brave, all the qualities their hero the legend stood for.
