UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet disappointing debut to his career under fresh promotional backing with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's punch output likely gained him a judges' verdict in a close 10-round bout at the Manchester venue.
But Parker found success, connecting with powerful clean blows in a fight where the techniques didn't complement each other, with frequent clinching marring the contest.
Two judges judged it 96-94 for to the winner, with the third a 95-95.
"It wasn't my finest showing but what do champions do? They succeed," Buatsi said in the arena as he was faced disapproval from the audience.
The British fighter got back to winning after his initial pro loss - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in February - to claim a 20th pro success.
Various analysts thought the challenger, thirty-one, merited the win but the Derbyshire fighter endured the second defeat of his 28-bout career.
The Champion Claims Victory in Slow Match
Buatsi's progress has plateaued in recent times through management issues and long spells of lack of fights.
Previously predicted as the next star of UK boxing, he now stands trying to achieve expectations - possibly in what appears to be a final roll of the dice - under new promotional backing.
He started carefully, with the two boxers willing to be aggressive in a cagey early stages.
The challenger, whose sole prior loss came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in 2022 after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was participating in his second appearance at light heavyweight.
By the halfway stage, the underdog had made it competitive, causing problems for the favorite, who worked behind a solid defense to narrowly win the better rounds.
The spectators' acceptance wore thin during frequent holding, with the challenger falling to the floor several times during clinches.
Parker ended stronger, but multiple periods were hard to judge. However, former world champion Carl Frampton - working with Dazn - had it particularly wide for Parker, giving Buatsi just a single round.
Buatsi advances, but with the caliber of power puncher David Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol ruling the division, the journey to titles - on this evidence - still appears challenging.
Ricky Hatton Tribute Inspires All-Manchester Battle
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur beat Bradley Rea by split-decision in a terrific Manchester vs Manchester contest to secure the European light heavyweight title.
The venue grew hushed for a extremely emotional homage before the fight as ten bells sounded in memory of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in recently.
It was the premier televised boxing event in the urban center since the passing of Hatton. As the last bell faded, the stillness gave way to a chant of "only one Ricky Hatton".
The fighting during the bout equaled the feeling. Arthur was knocked down by a powerful punch squarely on the jaw in the second round, getting up unsteadily to his footing on the eight count.
But the traditional red attire of the fighter soon came forward again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in competitive blue - was injured soon, significant bruising appearing under his orbital area as the fighters exchanged hard punches.
The challenger, 27, landed power punches but Arthur, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with powerful upward punches as the pace seldom decreased over the full distance.
The victor edged the result with official scores of 114-114, 115-113 and clearer margin, but each competitor were relentless and full of heart, everything their idol the legend represented.
