British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet disappointing beginning to his career under new promoters with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's punch output likely gained him a majority decision in a competitive 10-round bout at the Manchester venue.
But the challenger landed significant shots, connecting with powerful single shots in a fight where the techniques failed to mesh, with frequent clinching disrupting the action.
The scoring judges scored it 96-94 to the winner, with the final judge a even score.
"It wasn't my finest performance but what defines champions? They prevail," the victor commented in the ringside as he was greeted with negative reactions from the spectators.
The British fighter bounced back after his initial pro loss - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in February - to secure a 20th career victory.
Several boxing experts believed Parker, thirty-one, should have been awarded the victory but the contender endured the second setback of his 28-match career.
The Champion Secures Win in Uneventful Affair
Buatsi's progress has plateaued in recent years through promotional disputes and considerable time of inactivity.
Once tipped as the next star of British boxing, he now is positioned trying to fulfil that early promise - possibly in what seems like a last chance - under fresh management.
He started carefully, with the two boxers prepared to be aggressive in a calculated initial rounds.
Parker, whose single earlier setback came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in two years ago after breaking his hand mid-fight, was competing in only his second fight at the higher weight class.
By the halfway stage, the underdog had made it competitive, making life awkward for the favorite, who utilized a solid defense to edge the better stanzas.
The audience's tolerance diminished amid regular grabbing, with Parker falling to the floor various instances during clinches.
Parker ended stronger, but many rounds were hard to judge. Nevertheless, former world champion the boxing analyst - working with the broadcast network - had it significantly in favor for the challenger, giving Buatsi just only one stanza.
The victor advances, but with the likes of hard hitter Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - based on this performance - still seems difficult.
Ricky Hatton Homage Motivates All-Manchester Fight
In the secondary fight, Arthur overcame Rea by close verdict in a terrific all-Manchester battle to secure the European light heavyweight belt.
The arena grew hushed for a deeply poignant memorial before the fight as 10 bells tolled in memory of the city's native Hatton, who died aged 46 in last month.
It was the first major televised match card in the location since Hatton's passing. As the last bell ended, the silence became a roar of "only one Hatton".
The fighting inside the ropes equaled the feeling. The eventual winner was knocked down by a significant blow flush on the jaw in the early round, getting up unsteadily to his feet on the eight count.
But the traditional red attire of Arthur soon advanced again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in rival City blue - was marked up early, noticeable damage appearing under his eye as the duo landed punishing blows.
The challenger, 27, landed power punches but the champion, thirty-four, responded in kind with powerful upward punches as the pace hardly diminished over the full distance.
Arthur edged the result with scoring tallies of even score, 115-113 and wider gap, but the two athletes were determined and courageous, exactly what their idol the legend embodied.
