UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet underwhelming beginning to his career under fresh promotional backing with a decision win over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate appeared to earn him a judges' verdict in a close ten-round contest at the Manchester venue.
But Parker landed significant shots, landing some telling clean blows in a match where the approaches never quite clicked, with constant grabbing marring the contest.
Two judges had it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the final judge a 95-95.
"It wasn't my best showing but how do champions respond? They succeed," the victor stated in the ring as he was faced disapproval from the audience.
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 thought Parker, thirty-one, merited the victory but the British boxer experienced the second setback of his 28-match career.
The Champion Earns Win in Dull Match
Buatsi's progress has stalled in the past few years through contract problems and long spells of inactivity.
Previously predicted as the rising talent of British boxing, he now finds himself trying to fulfil that early promise - perhaps in what appears to be a last chance - under fresh management.
He started carefully, with the two boxers willing to be aggressive in a cagey opening few rounds.
The challenger, whose single earlier setback came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in 2022 after breaking his hand during the bout, was competing in only his second bout at light-heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, Parker had stayed in contention, making life awkward for the favorite, who utilized a protective stance to barely take the more effective stanzas.
The audience's tolerance diminished during constant clinching, with Parker slipping to the canvas various instances during clinches.
Parker finished the stronger, but many rounds were challenging to assess. Nevertheless, former world champion Carl Frampton - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just only one stanza.
Buatsi advances, but with the presence of power puncher Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the journey to titles - on this evidence - still seems difficult.
Hatton Homage Motivates Manchester Derby Fight
In the co-main event, Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by split-decision in a outstanding local rivalry contest to win the European light heavyweight belt.
The arena became quiet for a profoundly moving homage ahead of the contest as 10 bells rang in remembrance of the city's native Ricky Hatton, who passed away at age 46 in recently.
It was the premier televised boxing event in the location since Hatton's death. As the last bell faded, the quiet gave way to a roar of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".
The action inside the ropes matched the feeling. Arthur was knocked down by a powerful punch squarely on the face in the early round, standing uncertainly to his feet on the eight count.
But the traditional red attire of the fighter soon came forward again. Across the ring, Rea - in rival City blue - was marked up quickly, noticeable damage forming under his eye as the duo traded hard punches.
Rea, 27, landed power punches but the champion, thirty-four, responded in kind with effective uppercuts as the intensity hardly diminished over 12 rounds.
The victor barely secured the verdict with scoring tallies of 114-114, close margin and 115-112, but each competitor were determined and courageous, everything their hero Hatton represented.
