British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet unimpressive debut to his career under new promoters with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic bronze medallist's punch output appeared to earn him a split decision in a competitive 10-round bout at the Manchester venue.
But the challenger found success, connecting with powerful single shots in a match where the styles didn't complement each other, with excessive holding spoiling the contest.
The officials judged it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the final judge a even score.
"It wasn't my greatest performance but how do champions respond? They succeed," the victor stated in the arena as he was met by boos from the audience.
The British fighter returned to winning ways after his initial pro loss - an memorable fight with his previous opponent in February - to secure a 20th career victory.
Some ringside observers felt Parker, 31, merited the decision but the Derbyshire fighter suffered the second setback of his 28-bout professional journey.
Buatsi Earns Victory in Slow Match
Buatsi's progress has stalled in the past few years through promotional disputes and long spells of inactivity.
Previously predicted as the next star of UK boxing, he now stands trying to realize his potential - maybe in what feels like a final roll of the dice - under new promotional backing.
He began cautiously, with both competitors ready to take risks in a cagey initial rounds.
Parker, whose single earlier setback came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in 2022 after breaking his hand in the contest, was participating in his second bout at light-heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, Parker had made it competitive, creating difficulties for the favorite, who worked behind a solid defense to narrowly win the better periods.
The crowd's patience wore thin during frequent holding, with the challenger slipping to the canvas multiple occasions during clinches.
Parker closed well, but multiple periods were hard to judge. Although, ex-champion the boxing analyst - providing analysis for Dazn - had it significantly in favor for Parker, awarding Buatsi just a single round.
The victor moves on, but with the presence of power puncher David Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the path to championship success - based on this performance - still appears challenging.
Ricky Hatton Homage Inspires All-Manchester Contest
In the secondary fight, Arthur beat Rea by close verdict in a outstanding local rivalry fight to secure the European light-heavyweight title.
The stadium fell silent for a extremely emotional homage prior to the bout as 10 bells tolled in memory of local hero Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in September.
It was the premier televised fight night in the urban center since Hatton's passing. As the final chime disappeared, the stillness transitioned to a roar of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The competition within the ring reflected the sentiment. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a significant blow directly to the face in the second round, standing uncertainly to his feet on the count of eight.
But the Manchester United-red attire of Arthur soon advanced again. Across the ring, Rea - in competitive blue - was damaged soon, significant bruising appearing under his eye as the duo traded powerful shots.
The challenger, 27, connected with strong blows but the champion, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the intensity hardly diminished over 12 rounds.
Arthur narrowly won the verdict with scoring tallies of draw, narrow lead and wider gap, but the two athletes were persistent and courageous, everything their hero Hatton embodied.
