UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet unimpressive beginning to life under recent management with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate seemingly secured him a split decision in a close ten-round fight at the boxing arena.
But the challenger found success, connecting with powerful individual punches in a match where the approaches failed to mesh, with constant grabbing disrupting the fight.
Two judges judged it 96-94 to the winner, with the third a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my best showing but what defines champions? They win," the victor stated in the arena as he was met by negative reactions from the audience.
The Londoner bounced back after his initial pro loss - an epic battle with his previous opponent in February - to claim a twentieth professional win.
Several boxing experts thought the challenger, 31, should have been awarded the victory but the Derbyshire fighter suffered the second setback of his 28-fight career.
Buatsi Earns Victory in Dull Encounter
Buatsi's progress has stalled in recent years through promotional disputes and considerable time of inactivity.
Once tipped as the future of UK boxing, he now is positioned trying to achieve expectations - perhaps in what appears to be a ultimate opportunity - under new promotional backing.
He began cautiously, with neither fighter ready to overcommit in a cagey early stages.
The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in 2022 after breaking his hand mid-fight, was making just his second fight at the higher weight class.
By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had kept it close, creating difficulties for Buatsi, who utilized a solid defense to barely take the more effective periods.
The spectators' acceptance decreased amid frequent holding, with Parker slipping to the canvas multiple occasions during close exchanges.
The underdog ended stronger, but several stanzas were hard to judge. Although, former world champion Carl Frampton - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for Parker, giving Buatsi just only one stanza.
The victor moves on, but with the presence of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the road to world glory - on this evidence - still seems difficult.
Hatton Memorial Motivates Manchester Derby Battle
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by close verdict in a outstanding all-Manchester fight to win the European light heavyweight title.
The arena fell silent for a profoundly moving memorial prior to the bout as 10 bells sounded in honor of the city's native Ricky Hatton, who succumbed at age 46 in last month.
It was the premier televised fight night in the location since Hatton's death. As the final chime disappeared, the silence gave way to a chant of "only one Ricky Hatton".
The fighting during the bout reflected the feeling. Arthur was floored by a left hook squarely on the face in the initial stage, rising shakily to his feet on the referee's count.
But the red-colored attire of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. From the other corner, the opponent - in opposing blue - was injured quickly, noticeable damage developing under his eye as the duo traded hard punches.
Rea, 27, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, 34, responded in kind with stinging uppercuts as the intensity hardly diminished over the full distance.
Arthur narrowly won the result with scoring tallies of 114-114, narrow lead and 115-112, but both fighters were relentless and courageous, everything their inspiration the legend represented.
