British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming beginning to life under fresh promotional backing with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic bronze medallist's punch output seemingly secured him a majority decision in a close ten-round bout at the Manchester venue.
But Parker had his moments, landing some telling clean blows in a contest where the styles never quite clicked, with frequent clinching spoiling the contest.
Two judges scored it 96-94 to the winner, with the third a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my finest showing but how do champions respond? They succeed," the victor said in the arena as he was met by disapproval from the audience.
The British fighter got back to winning after his maiden career setback - an epic battle with Callum Smith in February - to secure a 20th pro success.
Some ringside observers believed the challenger, thirty-one, should have been awarded the win but the contender suffered the second defeat of his 28-fight professional journey.
The Champion Earns Win in Uneventful Match
His career development has stalled in recent times through contract problems and long spells of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the future of British boxing, he now is positioned trying to realize his potential - possibly in what feels like a last chance - under recent support.
He began cautiously, with neither fighter prepared to be aggressive in a calculated opening few rounds.
The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at super middleweight against his former opponent in two years ago after damaging his hand during the bout, was making just his second appearance at the higher weight class.
By the halfway stage, Parker had kept it close, creating difficulties for the favorite, who operated with a tight guard to edge the better periods.
The crowd's patience wore thin during regular grabbing, with Parker slipping to the canvas several times during clinches.
The underdog closed well, but many rounds were challenging to assess. However, ex-champion the boxing analyst - commentating on the broadcast network - had it significantly in favor for Parker, giving Buatsi just one round.
The victor progresses, but with the likes of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol leading the category, the journey to titles - based on this performance - still looks steep.
Ricky Hatton Tribute Inspires Manchester Derby Battle
In the supporting bout, Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by close verdict in a outstanding all-Manchester contest to capture the European light heavyweight championship.
The stadium became quiet for a extremely emotional memorial ahead of the contest as a bell ceremony sounded in remembrance of local hero Hatton, who died aged 46 in recently.
It was the premier televised fight night in the urban center since Hatton's passing. As the concluding sound faded, the silence transitioned to a roar of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".
The fighting within the ring matched the emotion. Arthur was knocked down by a powerful punch squarely on the jaw in the initial stage, standing uncertainly to his feet on the count of eight.
But the red-colored shorts of Arthur soon advanced again. On the opposite side, Rea - in rival City blue - was damaged quickly, significant bruising developing under his orbital area as the duo landed hard punches.
Rea, 27, landed power punches but Arthur, thirty-four, responded in kind with stinging uppercuts as the intensity hardly diminished over the full distance.
The victor narrowly won the verdict with official scores of 114-114, close margin and 115-112, but both fighters were persistent and brave, exactly what their idol Hatton embodied.
