British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet underwhelming start to life under recent management with a decision win over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level appeared to earn him a split decision in a close 10-round bout at the boxing arena.
But Parker had his moments, delivering effective single shots in a contest where the approaches didn't complement each other, with frequent clinching spoiling the fight.
Two judges scored it 96-94 in favor to the winner, with the remaining official a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my finest display but what defines champions? They prevail," the victor stated in the arena as he was greeted with boos from the crowd.
The British fighter got back to winning after his first professional defeat - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a 20th career victory.
Several boxing experts believed the challenger, 31, merited the decision but the British boxer experienced the second defeat of his 28-match career.
Buatsi Claims Triumph in Uneventful Affair
Buatsi's progress has plateaued in the past few years through management issues and considerable time of inactivity.
Once tipped as the future of British boxing, he now finds himself trying to realize his potential - possibly in what seems like a ultimate opportunity - under fresh management.
He started carefully, with neither fighter ready to be aggressive in a tentative initial rounds.
Parker, whose only previous defeat came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in 2022 after breaking his hand in the contest, was making just his second fight at light heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had kept it close, making life awkward for the favorite, who utilized a protective stance to edge the cleaner stanzas.
The crowd's patience diminished amid regular grabbing, with Parker falling to the floor various instances during close exchanges.
The underdog closed well, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. Although, former world champion Carl Frampton - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it significantly in favor for the challenger, awarding Buatsi just one round.
The victor progresses, but with the presence of power puncher Benavidez, and Russian champion Bivol ruling the division, the road to world glory - based on this performance - still appears challenging.
Hatton Memorial Motivates All-Manchester Fight
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur defeated Rea by split-decision in a terrific Manchester vs Manchester fight to win the continental belt.
The arena fell silent for a profoundly moving tribute before the fight as 10 bells tolled in remembrance of local hero Hatton, who passed away at age 46 in September.
It was the initial significant broadcast boxing event in the urban center since the passing of Hatton. As the concluding sound disappeared, the stillness became a roar of "only one Hatton".
The fighting during the bout equaled the emotion. The eventual winner was floored by a significant blow squarely on the face in the second round, rising shakily to his footing on the count of eight.
But the red-colored equipment of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. Across the ring, Rea - in competitive blue - was marked up quickly, significant bruising appearing under his orbital area as the fighters traded hard punches.
Rea, 27, connected with strong blows but the champion, 34, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the action hardly diminished over 12 rounds.
Arthur barely secured the decision with official scores of 114-114, close margin and wider gap, but each competitor were relentless and full of heart, all the qualities their hero Hatton stood for.
