UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming debut to his career under fresh promotional backing with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's punch output likely gained him a judges' verdict in a tight 10-round contest at the Manchester venue.
But the challenger landed significant shots, connecting with powerful clean blows in a fight where the styles failed to mesh, with constant grabbing marring the contest.
Two judges scored it 96-94 in favor to the winner, with the remaining official a 95-95.
"It wasn't my greatest performance but how do champions respond? They win," Buatsi said in the ringside as he was faced disapproval from the spectators.
The Londoner bounced back after his first professional defeat - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in last winter - to secure a 20th career victory.
Various analysts thought the challenger, thirty-one, merited the decision but the British boxer suffered the second setback of his 28-fight professional journey.
The Champion Earns Triumph in Uneventful Affair
The fighter's advancement has plateaued in recent times through promotional disputes and considerable time of inactivity.
Previously predicted as the rising talent of the British fight scene, he now finds himself trying to fulfil that early promise - possibly in what feels like a last chance - under recent support.
He opened tentatively, with neither fighter willing to take risks in a cagey initial rounds.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after suffering a hand injury in the contest, was competing in only his second bout at light-heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had kept it close, making life awkward for the favorite, who operated with a tight guard to edge the cleaner stanzas.
The audience's tolerance wore thin because of regular grabbing, with the challenger going down various instances during clinches.
Parker finished the stronger, but many rounds were challenging to assess. Nevertheless, ex-champion the boxing analyst - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for Parker, giving Buatsi just a single round.
The victor advances, but with the caliber of power puncher David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the journey to titles - judging by this showing - still seems difficult.
Hatton Memorial Inspires Manchester Derby Fight
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by split-decision in a outstanding local rivalry contest to capture the European light-heavyweight championship.
The stadium fell silent for a extremely emotional tribute before the fight as ten bells rang in honor of the city's native Ricky Hatton, who died 46 years old in recently.
It was the first major televised fight night in the urban center since Hatton's passing. As the last bell ended, the stillness became a shout of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".
The action during the bout equaled the feeling. Arthur was knocked down by a powerful punch flush on the jaw in the second round, standing uncertainly to his feet on the count of eight.
But the red-colored equipment of Arthur soon came forward again. On the opposite side, Rea - in competitive blue - was injured early, heavy swelling forming under his face as the pair exchanged powerful shots.
The challenger, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but the champion, 34, fought fire with fire with stinging uppercuts as the action rarely dropped over twelve rounds.
Arthur narrowly won the result with official scores of even score, 115-113 and wider gap, but the two athletes were relentless and brave, everything their hero Hatton embodied.
