UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet disappointing start to his career under fresh promotional backing with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level appeared to earn him a majority decision in a competitive ten-round fight at the boxing arena.
But Parker had his moments, delivering effective clean blows in a contest where the approaches failed to mesh, with constant grabbing disrupting the contest.
Two judges scored it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the remaining official a 95-95.
"It wasn't my finest showing but how do champions respond? They prevail," Buatsi said in the ringside as he was met by boos from the spectators.
The British fighter returned to winning ways after his first professional defeat - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in February - to earn a 20th pro success.
Several boxing experts felt Parker, 31, should have been awarded the victory but the British boxer endured the second defeat of his 28-bout career.
Buatsi Secures Victory in Dull Affair
Buatsi's progress has slowed in recent times through management issues and considerable time of inactivity.
Previously predicted as the next star of British boxing, he now finds himself trying to realize his potential - maybe in what feels like a last chance - under new promotional backing.
He began cautiously, with neither fighter ready to take risks in a calculated early stages.
The challenger, whose sole prior loss came at super middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after breaking his hand during the bout, was participating in his second fight at the higher weight class.
By the middle rounds, the underdog had made it competitive, creating difficulties for Buatsi, who operated with a tight guard to edge the cleaner periods.
The crowd's patience decreased because of frequent holding, with the challenger falling to the floor multiple occasions during grappling.
The underdog ended stronger, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. Although, former world champion Carl Frampton - commentating on the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for Parker, giving Buatsi just only one stanza.
Buatsi advances, but with the likes of power puncher David Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the path to championship success - judging by this showing - still looks steep.
Hatton Tribute Motivates Manchester Derby Battle
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur beat Rea by divided decision in a terrific Manchester vs Manchester contest to capture the European light-heavyweight title.
The venue fell silent for a deeply poignant memorial ahead of the contest as a bell ceremony rang in remembrance of local hero Ricky Hatton, who passed away at age 46 in last month.
It was the premier televised match card in the urban center since Hatton's passing. As the concluding sound ended, the stillness gave way to a chant of "there's just one Hatton".
The fighting within the ring reflected the sentiment. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a powerful punch flush on the jaw in the second round, rising shakily to his footing on the eight count.
But the Manchester United-red equipment of the fighter soon came forward again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in opposing blue - was damaged quickly, significant bruising appearing under his eye as the pair landed powerful shots.
The challenger, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but the champion, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the pace rarely dropped over 12 rounds.
The victor edged the result with official scores of 114-114, narrow lead and clearer margin, but both fighters were persistent and brave, all the qualities their inspiration Hatton represented.
