British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet disappointing beginning to life under recent management with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate likely gained him a split decision in a competitive ten-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.
But Parker had his moments, connecting with powerful single shots in a match where the approaches failed to mesh, with frequent clinching spoiling the fight.
Two judges judged it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the remaining official a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my greatest showing but what do champions do? They succeed," the victor said in the ring as he was faced disapproval from the spectators.
The British fighter got back to winning after his initial pro loss - an epic battle with his previous opponent in last winter - to claim a 20th career victory.
Several boxing experts thought Parker, thirty-one, deserved the win but the British boxer suffered the second setback of his 28-fight professional journey.
The Champion Earns Triumph in Uneventful Match
The fighter's advancement has stalled in recent years through contract problems and considerable time of inactivity.
Once tipped as the future of UK boxing, he now finds himself trying to realize his potential - perhaps in what feels like a final roll of the dice - under recent support.
He started carefully, with both competitors prepared to be aggressive in a cagey opening few rounds.
Parker, whose single earlier setback came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was making just his second bout at light heavyweight.
By the halfway stage, the underdog had stayed in contention, creating difficulties for Buatsi, who utilized a solid defense to narrowly win the more effective rounds.
The crowd's patience diminished amid constant clinching, with the challenger going down multiple occasions during grappling.
The underdog finished the stronger, but many rounds were challenging to assess. Although, ex-champion the boxing analyst - working with the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just a single round.
The victor moves on, but with the caliber of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Russian champion Bivol ruling the division, the road to world glory - judging by this showing - still appears challenging.
Hatton Memorial Inspires Local Rivalry Battle
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by close verdict in a excellent local rivalry fight to win the European light-heavyweight championship.
The arena grew hushed for a extremely emotional tribute ahead of the contest as a bell ceremony tolled in memory of the city's native Ricky Hatton, who passed away 46 years old in September.
It was the initial significant broadcast fight night in the city since the passing of Hatton. As the last bell disappeared, the stillness became a chant of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".
The action inside the ropes equaled the feeling. Arthur was floored by a significant blow directly to the face in the initial stage, getting up unsteadily to his position on the referee's count.
But the Manchester United-red equipment of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in rival City blue - was damaged soon, heavy swelling developing under his orbital area as the duo exchanged hard punches.
The challenger, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but the champion, thirty-four, responded in kind with stinging uppercuts as the pace rarely dropped over the full distance.
The victor barely secured the verdict with scoring tallies of 114-114, 115-113 and 115-112, but each competitor were determined and full of heart, everything their inspiration the legend embodied.
