British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet disappointing start to life under new promoters with a decision win over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's punch output seemingly secured him a split decision in a competitive ten-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.
But Parker found success, delivering effective clean blows in a fight where the approaches failed to mesh, with frequent clinching disrupting the fight.
The scoring judges judged it 96-94 in favor to the winner, with the final judge a 95-95.
"It wasn't my finest display but what do champions do? They succeed," the victor stated in the ringside as he was greeted with boos from the crowd.
The British fighter got back to winning after his first professional defeat - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in February - to earn a 20th career victory.
Several boxing experts felt Parker, thirty-one, deserved the decision but the British boxer endured the second defeat of his 28-match career.
Buatsi Secures Win in Dull Affair
The fighter's advancement has stalled in recent years through management issues and long spells of inactivity.
Once tipped as the rising talent of UK boxing, he now stands trying to realize his potential - perhaps in what feels like a final roll of the dice - under new promotional backing.
He began cautiously, with both competitors willing to be aggressive in a calculated early stages.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after damaging his hand during the bout, was making just his second appearance at the higher weight class.
By the middle rounds, the underdog had made it competitive, making life awkward for the favorite, who worked behind a tight guard to edge the cleaner periods.
The crowd's patience wore thin amid regular grabbing, with the challenger slipping to the canvas several times during grappling.
The underdog finished the stronger, but several stanzas were hard to judge. Nevertheless, ex-champion the boxing analyst - commentating on Dazn - had it strongly leaning for Parker, giving Buatsi just a single round.
The victor advances, but with the likes of power puncher Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the road to world glory - judging by this showing - still seems difficult.
Hatton Homage Motivates All-Manchester Battle
In the secondary fight, Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by divided decision in a terrific Manchester vs Manchester battle to capture the European light heavyweight belt.
The venue fell silent for a extremely emotional tribute before the fight as 10 bells sounded in honor of local hero Hatton, who succumbed aged 46 in September.
It was the first major televised fight night in the urban center since the passing of Hatton. As the last bell disappeared, the stillness transitioned to a shout of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".
The competition inside the ropes matched the feeling. The eventual winner was floored by a significant blow squarely on the chin in the initial stage, getting up unsteadily to his position on the eight count.
But the traditional red attire of Arthur soon advanced again. On the opposite side, Rea - in competitive blue - was damaged soon, noticeable damage forming under his orbital area as the pair landed hard punches.
The challenger, 27, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, thirty-four, responded in kind with effective uppercuts as the pace seldom decreased over twelve rounds.
Arthur narrowly won the decision with judges scorecards of 114-114, 115-113 and clearer margin, but the two athletes were relentless and courageous, everything their inspiration the legend stood for.
