British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet underwhelming beginning to his career under fresh promotional backing with a decision win over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's activity level seemingly secured him a majority decision in a close ten-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger had his moments, landing some telling individual punches in a fight where the approaches failed to mesh, with frequent clinching disrupting the contest.
Two judges had it 96-94 to the winner, with the third a 95-95.
"It wasn't my best performance but what do champions do? They win," the victor said in the ringside as he was faced disapproval from the spectators.
The Londoner returned to winning ways after his initial pro loss - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in February - to secure a 20th career victory.
Several boxing experts thought Parker, thirty-one, merited the win but the Derbyshire fighter suffered the second setback of his 28-bout professional journey.
The Champion Claims Win in Slow Match
Buatsi's progress has plateaued in recent years through contract problems and extended periods of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the rising talent of UK boxing, he now is positioned trying to achieve expectations - possibly in what feels like a last chance - under new promotional backing.
He began cautiously, with the two boxers willing to overcommit in a calculated early stages.
The challenger, whose single earlier setback came at super middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after breaking his hand during the bout, was participating in his second appearance at the higher weight class.
By the middle rounds, the underdog had made it competitive, causing problems for Buatsi, who utilized a protective stance to barely take the more effective periods.
The spectators' acceptance decreased because of regular grabbing, with the challenger falling to the floor several times during grappling.
Parker 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 significantly in favor for Parker, awarding Buatsi just only one stanza.
The victor advances, but with the presence of hard hitter Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the path to championship success - judging by this showing - still seems difficult.
Ricky Hatton Homage Fuels Local Rivalry Fight
In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by close verdict in a terrific Manchester vs Manchester contest to capture the continental title.
The venue grew hushed for a deeply poignant memorial prior to the bout as a bell ceremony rang in remembrance of the city's native Ricky Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in recently.
It was the premier televised boxing event in the location since Hatton's passing. As the concluding sound disappeared, the quiet transitioned to a shout of "there's just one Hatton".
The action during the bout matched the sentiment. The eventual winner was floored by a left hook squarely on the chin in the early round, getting up unsteadily to his footing on the referee's count.
But the traditional red attire of Arthur soon came forward again. On the opposite side, Rea - in competitive blue - was marked up soon, noticeable damage forming under his eye as the pair landed powerful shots.
The challenger, twenty-seven, landed power punches but Arthur, 34, matched the intensity with stinging uppercuts as the intensity seldom decreased over twelve rounds.
Arthur barely secured the verdict with official scores of even score, narrow lead and wider gap, but each competitor were relentless and courageous, everything their inspiration Hatton embodied.
