British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet unimpressive start to life under fresh promotional backing with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level likely gained him a judges' verdict in a close 10-round bout at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger landed significant shots, landing some telling individual punches in a match where the styles never quite clicked, with constant grabbing disrupting the contest.
The officials scored it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the final judge a 95-95.
"It wasn't my greatest display but what do champions do? They succeed," the victor said in the ring as he was greeted with negative reactions from the audience.
The Londoner got back to winning after his maiden career setback - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in February - to claim a 20th career victory.
Various analysts believed the challenger, thirty-one, deserved the decision but the Derbyshire fighter suffered the second defeat of his 28-bout career.
The Champion Secures Win in Uneventful Match
Buatsi's progress has plateaued in the past few years through management issues and considerable time of inactivity.
Once tipped as the next star of the British fight scene, he now finds himself trying to realize his potential - perhaps in what appears to be a final roll of the dice - under new promotional backing.
He began cautiously, with the two boxers prepared to overcommit in a calculated early stages.
Parker, whose only previous defeat came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in two years ago after breaking his hand mid-fight, was making just his second bout at light heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, Parker had stayed in contention, creating difficulties for the favorite, who operated with a solid defense to narrowly win the better stanzas.
The spectators' acceptance diminished amid regular grabbing, with the challenger going down several times during close exchanges.
The underdog finished the stronger, but several stanzas were difficult to score. Although, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - providing analysis for Dazn - had it particularly wide for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just one round.
The victor moves on, but with the likes of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Bivol leading the category, the path to championship success - judging by this showing - still seems difficult.
Ricky Hatton Homage Fuels Manchester Derby Battle
In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur beat Bradley Rea by divided decision in a excellent local rivalry contest to capture the European light-heavyweight title.
The venue grew hushed for a profoundly moving homage prior to the bout as 10 bells rang in honor of Manchester's own Hatton, who passed away 46 years old in last month.
It was the initial significant broadcast fight night in the urban center since the passing of Hatton. As the final chime faded, the stillness gave way to a roar of "there's just one Hatton".
The fighting during the bout equaled the feeling. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a left hook squarely on the face in the second round, getting up unsteadily to his position on the count of eight.
But the traditional red attire of Arthur soon came forward again. Across the ring, Rea - in opposing blue - was damaged quickly, significant bruising forming under his orbital area as the fighters exchanged powerful shots.
The challenger, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but the champion, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with powerful upward punches as the action seldom decreased over twelve rounds.
The victor edged the decision with official scores of even score, narrow lead and clearer margin, but each competitor were relentless and full of heart, all the qualities their inspiration the legend stood for.
