British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet unimpressive debut to his career under new promoters with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's work rate seemingly secured him a majority decision in a tight 10-round bout at the boxing arena.
But the challenger had his moments, delivering effective single shots in a match where the approaches failed to mesh, with frequent clinching disrupting the contest.
The officials scored it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the third a even score.
"It wasn't my best display but what do champions do? They win," the victor stated in the arena as he was greeted with boos from the audience.
The Londoner bounced back after his initial pro loss - an epic battle with his previous opponent in last winter - to earn a 20th career victory.
Various analysts thought the challenger, 31, deserved the win but the Derbyshire fighter suffered the second defeat of his 28-match professional journey.
Buatsi Earns Victory in Uneventful Affair
His career development has stalled in the past few years through promotional disputes and long spells of inactivity.
Previously predicted as the future of British boxing, he now finds himself trying to achieve expectations - possibly in what feels like a final roll of the dice - under fresh management.
He began cautiously, with both competitors willing to be aggressive in a calculated opening few rounds.
The challenger, whose sole prior loss came at super middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after damaging his hand in the contest, was participating in his second fight at the higher weight class.
By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had stayed in contention, creating difficulties for Buatsi, who operated with a protective stance to edge the more effective periods.
The spectators' acceptance diminished because of regular grabbing, with Parker slipping to the canvas multiple occasions during grappling.
The underdog ended stronger, but many rounds were hard to judge. Although, former world champion Carl Frampton - commentating on Dazn - had it significantly in favor for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just one round.
Buatsi moves on, but with the likes of power puncher Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the road to world glory - on this evidence - still seems difficult.
Ricky Hatton Memorial Motivates Manchester Derby Fight
In the secondary fight, Arthur overcame Rea by split-decision in a outstanding Manchester vs Manchester battle to win the continental championship.
The stadium grew hushed for a profoundly moving tribute before the fight as a bell ceremony sounded in remembrance of the city's native Ricky Hatton, who passed away at age 46 in recently.
It was the first major televised boxing event in the city since Hatton's death. As the concluding sound disappeared, the quiet became a chant of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".
The competition during the bout equaled the emotion. The eventual winner was floored by a left hook directly to the jaw in the early round, getting up unsteadily to his position on the referee's count.
But the Manchester United-red attire of Arthur soon advanced again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in competitive blue - was injured soon, significant bruising developing under his face as the fighters exchanged hard punches.
Rea, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but the champion, 34, matched the intensity with powerful upward punches as the action seldom decreased over 12 rounds.
Arthur narrowly won the decision with scoring tallies of 114-114, 115-113 and wider gap, but the two athletes were relentless and full of heart, exactly what their inspiration the legend represented.
