UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet underwhelming beginning to life under fresh promotional backing with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's punch output appeared to earn him a split decision in a competitive 10-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.
But Parker landed significant shots, landing some telling clean blows in a fight where the styles never quite clicked, with constant grabbing marring the fight.
The officials had it 96-94 to the winner, with the third a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my greatest performance but how do champions respond? They succeed," Buatsi said in the arena as he was greeted with boos from the crowd.
The British fighter bounced back after his maiden career setback - an memorable fight with his previous opponent in February - to claim a twentieth professional win.
Various analysts believed the challenger, thirty-one, deserved the decision but the contender experienced the second loss of his 28-bout career.
Buatsi Earns Win in Uneventful Affair
The fighter's advancement has slowed in the past few years through promotional disputes and long spells of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the rising talent of UK boxing, he now is positioned trying to achieve expectations - possibly in what appears to be a ultimate opportunity - under recent support.
He started carefully, with both competitors prepared to overcommit in a calculated opening few rounds.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at the lower weight class against John Ryder in 2022 after damaging his hand during the bout, was competing in only his second appearance at the higher weight class.
By the middle rounds, Parker had stayed in contention, making life awkward for the favorite, who utilized a tight guard to edge the better rounds.
The audience's tolerance decreased because of constant clinching, with Parker falling to the floor various instances during clinches.
The underdog finished the stronger, but several stanzas were hard to judge. Although, ex-champion Carl Frampton - providing analysis for Dazn - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, awarding Buatsi just only one stanza.
Buatsi moves on, but with the likes of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - on this evidence - still seems difficult.
Ricky Hatton Memorial Fuels Manchester Derby Battle
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by close verdict in a outstanding local rivalry battle to win the European light-heavyweight championship.
The venue became quiet for a deeply poignant memorial prior to the bout as a bell ceremony tolled in honor of the city's native Ricky Hatton, who passed away at age 46 in last month.
It was the premier televised boxing event in the city since the passing of Hatton. As the final chime faded, the quiet transitioned to a chant of "only one Ricky Hatton".
The competition inside the ropes equaled the feeling. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a significant blow directly to the jaw in the early round, standing uncertainly to his footing on the referee's count.
But the traditional red shorts of Arthur soon advanced again. Across the ring, the opponent - in opposing blue - was damaged early, significant bruising developing under his eye as the pair traded punishing blows.
Rea, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but the champion, thirty-four, matched the intensity with stinging uppercuts as the intensity rarely dropped over the full distance.
Arthur barely secured the result with judges scorecards of even score, 115-113 and wider gap, but each competitor were relentless and courageous, exactly what their hero the legend represented.
