British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet disappointing start to his career under fresh promotional backing with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate seemingly secured him a majority decision in a tight 10-round bout at the Manchester venue.
But Parker landed significant shots, landing some telling individual punches in a match where the approaches didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing marring the contest.
Two judges had it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the third a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my finest display but what do champions do? They win," Buatsi commented in the arena as he was greeted with disapproval from the audience.
The British fighter bounced back after his initial pro loss - an epic battle with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a 20th career victory.
Some ringside observers believed Parker, thirty-one, merited the win but the contender suffered the second defeat of his 28-match career.
The Champion Secures Triumph in Slow Affair
His career development has stalled in recent years through management issues and considerable time of lack of fights.
Once tipped as the future of the British fight scene, he now stands trying to achieve expectations - possibly in what seems like a last chance - under recent support.
He opened tentatively, with neither fighter prepared to take risks in a calculated early stages.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at the lower weight class against John Ryder in two years ago after breaking his hand mid-fight, was participating in his second fight at light-heavyweight.
By the halfway stage, Parker had made it competitive, making life awkward for the favorite, who worked behind a tight guard to barely take the better stanzas.
The spectators' acceptance decreased because of regular grabbing, with the challenger falling to the floor multiple occasions during grappling.
Parker closed well, but several stanzas were hard to judge. Although, ex-champion Carl Frampton - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it significantly in favor for Parker, awarding Buatsi just a single round.
Buatsi moves on, but with the presence of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian champion Bivol leading the category, the journey to titles - on this evidence - still appears challenging.
Ricky Hatton Memorial Motivates Manchester Derby Contest
In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur overcame Rea by close verdict in a excellent all-Manchester battle to secure the continental belt.
The stadium grew hushed for a extremely emotional homage prior to the bout as 10 bells tolled in remembrance of local hero Ricky Hatton, who died 46 years old in September.
It was the premier televised fight night in the city since the passing of Hatton. As the final chime ended, the quiet became a chant of "there's only one Hatton".
The fighting within the ring reflected the sentiment. The eventual winner was floored by a powerful punch squarely on the jaw in the initial stage, standing uncertainly to his footing on the referee's count.
But the red-colored attire of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, Rea - in rival City blue - was marked up soon, noticeable damage developing under his orbital area as the fighters exchanged powerful shots.
Rea, 27, delivered effective strikes but the champion, 34, responded in kind with powerful upward punches as the pace rarely dropped over 12 rounds.
The victor narrowly won the decision with scoring tallies of 114-114, narrow lead and clearer margin, but each competitor were persistent and brave, all the qualities their hero the legend embodied.
