British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet unimpressive beginning to his career under fresh promotional backing with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's punch output seemingly secured him a split decision in a tight 10-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.
But Parker landed significant shots, connecting with powerful individual punches in a match where the techniques never quite clicked, with frequent clinching marring the action.
Two judges judged it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the third a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my finest showing but what do champions do? They prevail," the victor said in the ring as he was met by disapproval from the crowd.
The Londoner got back to winning after his first professional defeat - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in last winter - to claim a 20th career victory.
Various analysts felt the challenger, 31, merited the victory but the Derbyshire fighter experienced the second setback of his 28-match professional journey.
The Champion Secures Win in Slow Match
Buatsi's progress has stalled in recent years through promotional disputes and considerable time of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the rising talent of UK boxing, he now finds himself trying to fulfil that early promise - maybe in what feels like a last chance - under new promotional backing.
He began cautiously, with the two boxers prepared to take risks in a tentative early stages.
The challenger, whose single earlier setback came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in two years ago after suffering a hand injury mid-fight, was making just his second bout at light-heavyweight.
By the halfway stage, Parker had made it competitive, causing problems for Buatsi, who utilized a tight guard to barely take the better stanzas.
The audience's tolerance wore thin amid constant clinching, with the challenger falling to the floor several times during clinches.
The underdog closed well, but multiple periods were hard to judge. However, former world champion Carl Frampton - commentating on Dazn - had it significantly in favor for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just only one stanza.
Buatsi progresses, but with the likes of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the road to world glory - based on this performance - still looks steep.
Hatton Memorial Motivates All-Manchester Contest
In the co-main event, Arthur beat Bradley Rea by close verdict in a terrific local rivalry fight to secure the European light-heavyweight title.
The stadium became quiet for a deeply poignant homage prior to the bout as a bell ceremony tolled in honor of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who died 46 years old in September.
It was the initial significant broadcast boxing event in the location since Hatton's death. As the last bell disappeared, the quiet became a roar of "only one Hatton".
The action inside the ropes reflected the feeling. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a left hook directly to the face in the second round, rising shakily to his feet on the referee's count.
But the red-colored shorts of Arthur soon came forward again. Across the ring, the opponent - in competitive blue - was marked up early, heavy swelling developing under his orbital area as the duo exchanged hard punches.
The challenger, 27, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, 34, responded in kind with effective uppercuts as the intensity rarely dropped over 12 rounds.
Arthur narrowly won the decision with judges scorecards of even score, 115-113 and 115-112, but both fighters were persistent and brave, everything their inspiration the legend embodied.
