UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming debut to life under fresh promotional backing with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level likely gained him a split decision in a close 10-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger had his moments, landing some telling clean blows in a contest where the styles didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing spoiling the action.
The scoring judges judged it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the third a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my best performance but how do champions respond? They win," the victor said in the ring as he was greeted with disapproval from the crowd.
The British fighter returned to winning ways after his initial pro loss - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a 20th career victory.
Some ringside observers thought Parker, thirty-one, deserved the win but the Derbyshire fighter suffered the second loss of his 28-match professional journey.
Buatsi Claims Win in Dull Encounter
Buatsi's progress has slowed in the past few years through management issues and long spells of inactivity.
Previously predicted as the next star of the British fight scene, he now stands trying to achieve expectations - maybe in what feels like a last chance - under new promotional backing.
He began cautiously, with neither fighter prepared to be aggressive in a cagey early stages.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in 2022 after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was competing in only his second fight at light-heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, Parker had made it competitive, causing problems for Buatsi, who utilized a protective stance to edge the more effective stanzas.
The audience's tolerance diminished because of frequent holding, with the challenger slipping to the canvas several times during clinches.
Parker ended stronger, but multiple periods were difficult to score. Nevertheless, former world champion the boxing analyst - providing analysis for Dazn - had it strongly leaning for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just one round.
Buatsi advances, but with the caliber of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the path to championship success - judging by this showing - still looks steep.
Hatton Memorial Fuels All-Manchester Battle
In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur defeated Rea by close verdict in a terrific Manchester vs Manchester battle to secure the European light-heavyweight belt.
The arena became quiet for a deeply poignant tribute before the fight as 10 bells sounded in remembrance of local hero Ricky Hatton, who died at age 46 in last month.
It was the premier televised match card in the location since Hatton's passing. As the last bell ended, the silence gave way to a roar of "there's only one Hatton".
The action inside the ropes reflected the emotion. Arthur was knocked down by a powerful punch flush on the chin in the second round, getting up unsteadily to his position on the referee's count.
But the red-colored equipment of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. Across the ring, Rea - in competitive blue - was marked up quickly, noticeable damage developing under his face as the pair landed powerful shots.
The challenger, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but Arthur, 34, matched the intensity with stinging uppercuts as the intensity seldom decreased over the full distance.
The victor narrowly won the verdict with official scores of draw, 115-113 and wider gap, but both fighters were relentless and brave, all the qualities their idol Hatton embodied.
