British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet unimpressive beginning to his career under recent management with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate appeared to earn him a split decision in a tight ten-round fight at the boxing arena.
But the challenger had his moments, delivering effective clean blows in a contest where the styles failed to mesh, with frequent clinching disrupting the action.
Two judges scored it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the final judge a 95-95.
"It wasn't my best display but how do champions respond? They prevail," Buatsi commented in the ringside as he was met by boos from the spectators.
The British fighter got back to winning after his initial pro loss - an epic battle with his previous opponent in February - to secure a twentieth professional win.
Several boxing experts believed Parker, thirty-one, should have been awarded the win but the British boxer suffered the second defeat of his 28-fight career.
Buatsi Secures Win in Uneventful Encounter
Buatsi's progress has plateaued in recent years through management issues and considerable time of lack of fights.
Previously predicted as the rising talent of British boxing, he now finds himself trying to achieve expectations - perhaps in what appears to be a final roll of the dice - under recent support.
He opened tentatively, with neither fighter prepared to be aggressive in a cagey opening few rounds.
The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at the lower weight class against John Ryder in two years ago after breaking his hand mid-fight, was making just his second appearance at light heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, Parker had made it competitive, making life awkward for the favorite, who operated with a solid defense to edge the cleaner rounds.
The spectators' acceptance decreased because of regular grabbing, with the challenger going down several times during clinches.
The underdog finished the stronger, but several stanzas were hard to judge. Although, former world champion the boxing analyst - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for Parker, giving Buatsi just one round.
Buatsi moves on, but with the presence of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian champion Bivol leading the category, the path to championship success - judging by this showing - still looks steep.
Ricky Hatton Tribute Motivates Manchester Derby Contest
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by split-decision in a outstanding Manchester vs Manchester battle to capture the continental title.
The venue became quiet for a deeply poignant homage before the fight as a bell ceremony sounded in honor of local hero Ricky Hatton, who passed away 46 years old in last month.
It was the premier televised fight night in the location since Hatton's death. As the concluding sound ended, the quiet transitioned to a shout of "only one Hatton".
The competition during the bout equaled the sentiment. Arthur was floored by a significant blow squarely on the chin in the second round, getting up unsteadily to his footing on the referee's count.
But the traditional red attire of Arthur soon advanced again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in competitive blue - was marked up early, significant bruising developing under his eye as the pair traded powerful shots.
The challenger, 27, landed power punches but Arthur, thirty-four, responded in kind with stinging uppercuts as the intensity hardly diminished over the full distance.
Arthur barely secured the verdict with official scores of even score, close margin and wider gap, but each competitor were determined and full of heart, exactly what their idol the legend stood for.
