British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet disappointing debut to life under new promoters with a decision win over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's activity level likely gained him a judges' verdict in a close ten-round bout at the boxing arena.
But the challenger found success, delivering effective clean blows in a fight where the techniques didn't complement each other, with excessive holding marring the fight.
The scoring judges judged it 96-94 in favor to the winner, with the third a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my finest performance but what defines champions? They succeed," the victor stated in the arena as he was met by negative reactions from the crowd.
The Londoner got back to winning after his initial pro loss - an memorable fight with his previous opponent in last winter - to earn a 20th pro success.
Several boxing experts believed the challenger, 31, merited the win but the contender suffered the second setback of his 28-match professional journey.
Buatsi Earns Victory in Dull Match
The fighter's advancement has slowed in recent times through management issues and extended periods of inactivity.
Once tipped as the future of the British fight scene, he now is positioned trying to achieve expectations - possibly in what appears to be a ultimate opportunity - under fresh management.
He began cautiously, with both competitors ready to be aggressive in a cagey initial rounds.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super middleweight against John Ryder in two years ago after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was participating in his second bout at light-heavyweight.
By the halfway stage, Parker had stayed in contention, causing problems for the favorite, who utilized a protective stance to barely take the better stanzas.
The crowd's patience decreased because of regular grabbing, with Parker slipping to the canvas various instances during grappling.
The underdog finished the stronger, but multiple periods were hard to judge. Although, ex-champion the boxing analyst - working with the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for Parker, awarding Buatsi just one round.
Buatsi progresses, but with the presence of power puncher David Benavidez, and Russian champion Bivol dominating the weight class, the path to championship success - judging by this showing - still seems difficult.
Ricky Hatton Memorial Inspires Manchester Derby Battle
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by divided decision in a excellent all-Manchester battle to secure the continental belt.
The arena fell silent for a extremely emotional homage before the fight as ten bells sounded in honor of local hero Ricky Hatton, who died at age 46 in last month.
It was the first major televised fight night in the location since Hatton's death. As the last bell ended, the quiet transitioned to a roar of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".
The fighting during the bout reflected the emotion. Arthur was floored by a significant blow directly to the face in the initial stage, getting up unsteadily to his footing on the eight count.
But the red-colored equipment of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in rival City blue - was injured early, heavy swelling appearing under his orbital area as the duo landed punishing blows.
Rea, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but the champion, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with stinging uppercuts as the action hardly diminished over 12 rounds.
The victor narrowly won the decision with scoring tallies of even score, narrow lead and wider gap, but the two athletes were relentless and full of heart, everything their hero the legend represented.
