British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet unimpressive start to his career under recent management with a decision win over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate likely gained him a judges' verdict in a competitive ten-round contest at the boxing arena.
But Parker had his moments, landing some telling single shots in a fight where the approaches failed to mesh, with excessive holding spoiling the fight.
The scoring judges judged it 96-94 to the winner, with the third a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my greatest performance but what defines champions? They win," Buatsi said in the ring as he was faced disapproval from the spectators.
The Londoner bounced back after his first professional defeat - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in last winter - to claim a 20th career victory.
Some ringside observers believed the challenger, 31, should have been awarded the decision but the British boxer suffered the second setback of his 28-fight career.
The Champion Earns Triumph in Dull Encounter
The fighter's advancement has plateaued in the past few years through management issues and long spells of inactivity.
Previously predicted as the future of UK boxing, he now is positioned trying to achieve expectations - perhaps in what seems like a final roll of the dice - under fresh management.
He started carefully, with neither fighter ready to take risks in a calculated early stages.
The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at the lower weight class against John Ryder in two years ago after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was competing in only his second appearance at light heavyweight.
By the halfway stage, the underdog had made it competitive, causing problems for Buatsi, who worked behind a protective stance to edge the cleaner stanzas.
The crowd's patience decreased because of constant clinching, with Parker going down various instances during close exchanges.
The underdog ended stronger, but multiple periods were challenging to assess. Nevertheless, previous titleholder Carl Frampton - providing analysis for Dazn - had it particularly wide for Parker, giving Buatsi just a single round.
Buatsi advances, but with the presence of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the journey to titles - judging by this showing - still seems difficult.
Ricky Hatton Homage Motivates Local Rivalry Contest
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur beat Bradley Rea by divided decision in a terrific all-Manchester fight to capture the continental championship.
The venue grew hushed for a deeply poignant memorial prior to the bout as ten bells sounded in remembrance of local hero Ricky Hatton, who died aged 46 in last month.
It was the premier televised fight night in the location since Hatton's passing. As the final chime ended, the quiet gave way to a chant of "only one Hatton".
The competition within the ring matched the sentiment. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a powerful punch squarely on the chin in the second round, rising shakily to his feet on the referee's count.
But the Manchester United-red shorts of Arthur soon came forward again. From the other corner, the opponent - in rival City blue - was marked up soon, noticeable damage appearing under his eye as the duo landed punishing blows.
The challenger, 27, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, 34, matched the intensity with powerful upward punches as the intensity rarely dropped over the full distance.
Arthur barely secured the decision with judges scorecards of draw, 115-113 and 115-112, but each competitor were persistent and full of heart, everything their inspiration Hatton represented.
