UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet unimpressive start to life under recent management with a decision win over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's work rate appeared to earn him a majority decision in a tight 10-round fight at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger had his moments, delivering effective individual punches in a fight where the styles never quite clicked, with frequent clinching marring the fight.
Two judges judged it 96-94 in favor to the winner, with the remaining official a 95-95.
"It wasn't my best performance but what do champions do? They win," the victor commented in the ring as he was faced disapproval from the spectators.
The British fighter got back to winning after his maiden career setback - an epic battle with his previous opponent in last winter - to secure a twentieth professional win.
Several boxing experts thought Parker, 31, merited the win but the Derbyshire fighter endured the second defeat of his 28-fight career.
The Champion Claims Victory in Dull Affair
His career development has plateaued in the past few years through promotional disputes and long spells of lack of fights.
Once tipped as the future of UK boxing, he now is positioned trying to realize his potential - maybe in what seems like a final roll of the dice - under recent support.
He opened tentatively, with the two boxers ready to take risks in a calculated opening few rounds.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after breaking his hand during the bout, was competing in only his second bout at light-heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, the underdog had kept it close, making life awkward for the favorite, who utilized a tight guard to barely take the more effective rounds.
The crowd's patience diminished during regular grabbing, with the challenger falling to the floor several times during clinches.
The underdog closed well, but multiple periods were hard to judge. Nevertheless, former world champion the boxing analyst - working with Dazn - had it significantly in favor for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just one round.
Buatsi moves on, but with the caliber of hard hitter Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol ruling the division, the journey to titles - based on this performance - still seems difficult.
Hatton Memorial Fuels All-Manchester Battle
In the secondary fight, Arthur beat Rea by close verdict in a outstanding all-Manchester contest to win the European light heavyweight belt.
The venue grew hushed for a deeply poignant memorial ahead of the contest as ten bells rang in remembrance of local hero Hatton, who died at age 46 in last month.
It was the premier televised boxing event in the location since Hatton's death. As the final chime ended, the silence gave way to a chant of "there's just one Hatton".
The fighting within the ring equaled the sentiment. The eventual winner was floored by a left hook directly to the chin in the initial stage, rising shakily to his position on the referee's count.
But the Manchester United-red equipment of the fighter soon came forward again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in competitive blue - was damaged soon, significant bruising appearing under his orbital area as the fighters landed punishing blows.
The challenger, twenty-seven, landed power punches but Arthur, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with stinging uppercuts as the pace hardly diminished over 12 rounds.
Arthur barely secured the decision with judges scorecards of draw, narrow lead and clearer margin, but the two athletes were determined and brave, everything their idol the legend embodied.
