British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet disappointing start to his career under new promoters with a decision win over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's activity level seemingly secured him a split decision in a competitive ten-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger found success, landing some telling single shots in a fight where the techniques didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing marring the action.
The scoring judges had it 96-94 for to the winner, with the final judge a 95-95.
"It wasn't my best showing but what defines champions? They prevail," Buatsi said in the ring as he was faced negative reactions from the spectators.
The Londoner returned to winning ways after his first professional defeat - an epic battle with his previous opponent in last winter - to earn a twentieth professional win.
Some ringside observers thought the challenger, 31, merited the victory but the Derbyshire fighter suffered the second defeat of his 28-bout professional journey.
The Champion Secures Victory in Slow Match
The fighter's advancement has plateaued in the past few years through management issues and considerable time of inactivity.
Previously predicted as the next star of British boxing, he now stands trying to fulfil that early promise - possibly in what feels like a last chance - under fresh management.
He began cautiously, with both competitors willing to take risks in a calculated early stages.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after suffering a hand injury in the contest, was making just his second fight at the higher weight class.
By the halfway stage, Parker had stayed in contention, causing problems for the favorite, who utilized a protective stance to narrowly win the better rounds.
The spectators' acceptance diminished because of frequent holding, with Parker slipping to the canvas multiple occasions during grappling.
The underdog finished the stronger, but many rounds were hard to judge. However, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - working with Dazn - had it strongly leaning for Parker, awarding Buatsi just one round.
The victor advances, but with the presence of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - based on this performance - still appears challenging.
Hatton Memorial Fuels All-Manchester Battle
In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur defeated Rea by divided decision in a outstanding all-Manchester fight to secure the continental championship.
The arena grew hushed for a profoundly moving memorial before the fight as ten bells sounded in memory of Manchester's own Hatton, who passed away 46 years old in recently.
It was the premier televised fight night in the location since Hatton's passing. As the concluding sound disappeared, the quiet became a roar of "only one Hatton".
The fighting during the bout matched the sentiment. Arthur was knocked down by a left hook directly to the face in the initial stage, getting up unsteadily to his footing on the referee's count.
But the traditional red equipment of Arthur soon came forward again. From the other corner, the opponent - in competitive blue - was marked up soon, heavy swelling appearing under his face as the pair exchanged punishing blows.
The challenger, 27, connected with strong blows but Arthur, 34, matched the intensity with stinging uppercuts as the action rarely dropped over the full distance.
The victor barely secured the verdict with official scores of draw, 115-113 and clearer margin, but the two athletes were persistent and courageous, exactly what their hero Hatton embodied.
