British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet underwhelming start to his career under new promoters with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate appeared to earn him a split decision in a close 10-round fight at the boxing arena.
But the challenger had his moments, connecting with powerful clean blows in a match where the techniques didn't complement each other, with frequent clinching disrupting the action.
The officials had it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the third a 95-95.
"It wasn't my best performance but how do champions respond? They prevail," Buatsi stated in the ringside as he was greeted with disapproval from the crowd.
The Londoner got back to winning after his initial pro loss - an epic battle with Callum Smith in last winter - to secure a 20th career victory.
Various analysts felt the challenger, thirty-one, merited the win but the contender endured the second setback of his 28-bout professional journey.
Buatsi Earns Victory in Slow Affair
His career development has stalled in recent years through promotional disputes and considerable time of lack of fights.
Once tipped as the future of the British fight scene, he now stands trying to realize his potential - maybe in what feels like a ultimate opportunity - under fresh management.
He opened tentatively, with neither fighter prepared to be aggressive in a tentative early stages.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after suffering a hand injury in the contest, was competing in only his second bout at the higher weight class.
By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had kept it close, causing problems for the favorite, who worked behind a tight guard to edge the cleaner rounds.
The audience's tolerance decreased during frequent holding, with Parker going down multiple occasions during grappling.
The underdog finished the stronger, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. Nevertheless, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - providing analysis for Dazn - had it significantly in favor for Parker, giving Buatsi just one round.
The victor moves on, but with the presence of hard hitter Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the road to world glory - on this evidence - still looks steep.
Hatton Memorial Inspires All-Manchester Fight
In the co-main event, Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by split-decision in a terrific local rivalry contest to win the European light-heavyweight belt.
The venue grew hushed for a deeply poignant tribute prior to the bout as 10 bells sounded in honor of the city's native Hatton, who died aged 46 in last month.
It was the premier televised boxing event in the location since Hatton's death. As the last bell faded, the stillness transitioned to a chant of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".
The action during the bout reflected the feeling. Arthur was floored by a powerful punch squarely on the face in the second round, rising shakily to his position on the referee's count.
But the Manchester United-red equipment of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in opposing blue - was marked up early, significant bruising developing under his eye as the fighters exchanged powerful shots.
The challenger, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but the champion, thirty-four, matched the intensity with stinging uppercuts as the pace rarely dropped over the full distance.
Arthur barely secured the result with scoring tallies of draw, close margin and wider gap, but each competitor were persistent and courageous, all the qualities their idol the legend represented.
