UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet unimpressive beginning to his career under fresh promotional backing with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a competitive ten-round fight at the boxing arena.
But Parker found success, landing some telling single shots in a match where the approaches never quite clicked, with frequent clinching spoiling the contest.
Two judges scored it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the remaining official a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my finest showing but what defines champions? They succeed," Buatsi commented in the arena as he was met by boos from the audience.
The British fighter got back to winning after his initial pro loss - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in last winter - to secure a 20th pro success.
Some ringside observers believed Parker, 31, merited the decision but the Derbyshire fighter experienced the second setback of his 28-bout career.
The Champion Secures Triumph in Dull Encounter
The fighter's advancement has stalled in recent times through promotional disputes and extended periods of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the rising talent of British boxing, he now stands trying to achieve expectations - possibly in what appears to be a final roll of the dice - under new promotional backing.
He began cautiously, with neither fighter willing to be aggressive in a tentative initial rounds.
Parker, whose only previous defeat came at the lower weight class against John Ryder in two years ago after damaging his hand mid-fight, was making just his second bout at the higher weight class.
By the fight's midpoint, Parker had kept it close, causing problems for Buatsi, who worked behind a tight guard to barely take the cleaner stanzas.
The spectators' acceptance diminished amid regular grabbing, with the challenger slipping to the canvas various instances during grappling.
The underdog closed well, but many rounds were challenging to assess. Nevertheless, ex-champion Carl Frampton - working with Dazn - had it particularly wide for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just a single round.
Buatsi progresses, but with the likes of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the journey to titles - based on this performance - still appears challenging.
Hatton Tribute Fuels Manchester Derby Fight
In the secondary fight, Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by split-decision in a excellent all-Manchester fight to win the European light-heavyweight belt.
The venue fell silent for a profoundly moving tribute ahead of the contest as 10 bells tolled in memory of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who died at age 46 in September.
It was the premier televised boxing event in the urban center since Hatton's death. As the last bell faded, the silence transitioned to a chant of "only one Hatton".
The action inside the ropes equaled the sentiment. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a significant blow squarely on the chin in the second round, getting up unsteadily to his footing on the referee's count.
But the red-colored shorts of Arthur soon advanced again. From the other corner, the opponent - in competitive blue - was marked up early, significant bruising appearing under his face as the duo exchanged hard punches.
Rea, 27, delivered effective strikes but the champion, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the intensity seldom decreased over 12 rounds.
Arthur edged the verdict with judges scorecards of 114-114, narrow lead and clearer margin, but each competitor were relentless and full of heart, exactly what their hero Hatton embodied.
