UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet unimpressive start to life under fresh promotional backing with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a tight ten-round bout at the Co-op Live Arena.
But Parker found success, connecting with powerful single shots in a contest where the approaches didn't complement each other, with frequent clinching spoiling the contest.
The officials judged it 96-94 for to the winner, with the third a 95-95.
"It wasn't my best display but what do champions do? They succeed," the victor commented in the ring as he was faced boos from the crowd.
The British fighter bounced back after his maiden career setback - an epic battle with Callum Smith in February - to earn a 20th career victory.
Several boxing experts thought the challenger, thirty-one, should have been awarded the win but the Derbyshire fighter endured the second loss of his 28-bout career.
Buatsi Secures Triumph in Dull Affair
Buatsi's progress has slowed in recent years through management issues and long spells of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the future of UK boxing, he now finds himself trying to achieve expectations - perhaps in what feels like a final roll of the dice - under recent support.
He opened tentatively, with neither fighter ready to overcommit in a cagey opening few rounds.
The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at super middleweight against John Ryder in two years ago after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was making just his second fight at the higher weight class.
By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had stayed in contention, making life awkward for Buatsi, who worked behind a tight guard to narrowly win the cleaner stanzas.
The crowd's patience decreased during constant clinching, with the challenger falling to the floor multiple occasions during close exchanges.
Parker ended stronger, but multiple periods were difficult to score. However, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - providing analysis for Dazn - had it particularly wide for Parker, giving Buatsi just only one stanza.
Buatsi advances, but with the presence of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the journey to titles - based on this performance - still appears challenging.
Ricky Hatton Memorial Motivates Local Rivalry Contest
In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur overcame Rea by divided decision in a excellent all-Manchester fight to secure the European light heavyweight title.
The arena became quiet for a profoundly moving tribute prior to the bout as 10 bells tolled in remembrance of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who died 46 years old in September.
It was the first major televised boxing event in the location since the passing of Hatton. As the final chime faded, the quiet became a shout of "only one Hatton".
The competition during the bout reflected the emotion. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a powerful punch squarely on the chin in the second round, standing uncertainly to his feet on the referee's count.
But the Manchester United-red attire of Arthur soon advanced again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in rival City blue - was injured quickly, significant bruising appearing under his orbital area 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 hardly diminished over 12 rounds.
Arthur edged the verdict with official scores of draw, close margin and wider gap, but both fighters were persistent and brave, exactly what their idol the legend stood for.
