UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet underwhelming beginning to life under recent management with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate likely gained him a judges' verdict in a tight 10-round bout at the Manchester venue.
But the challenger found success, connecting with powerful individual punches in a fight where the styles didn't complement each other, with frequent clinching spoiling the contest.
Two judges scored it 96-94 in favor to the winner, with the third a even score.
"It wasn't my best display but what do champions do? They prevail," the victor said in the ring as he was faced boos from the crowd.
The Londoner got back to winning after his maiden career setback - an epic battle with Callum Smith in February - to claim a twentieth professional win.
Some ringside observers believed Parker, thirty-one, merited the victory but the contender experienced the second defeat of his 28-match professional journey.
Buatsi Earns Triumph in Slow Match
The fighter's advancement has plateaued in recent years through contract problems and considerable time of inactivity.
Previously predicted as the rising talent of UK boxing, he now finds himself trying to fulfil that early promise - perhaps in what feels like a last chance - under fresh management.
He opened tentatively, with the two boxers ready to take risks in a tentative initial rounds.
The challenger, whose single earlier setback came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after breaking his hand in the contest, was participating in his second appearance at light-heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had made it competitive, making life awkward for the favorite, who worked behind a protective stance to barely take the cleaner stanzas.
The spectators' acceptance decreased because of regular grabbing, with the challenger falling to the floor multiple occasions during close exchanges.
Parker closed well, but several stanzas were hard to judge. However, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - commentating on Dazn - had it significantly in favor for the challenger, awarding Buatsi just a single round.
The victor advances, but with the caliber of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the journey to titles - judging by this showing - still looks steep.
Ricky Hatton Homage Fuels All-Manchester Contest
In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur beat Bradley Rea by close verdict in a terrific all-Manchester contest to capture the European light heavyweight title.
The stadium became quiet for a deeply poignant homage ahead of the contest as ten bells tolled in memory of local hero Hatton, who died 46 years old in recently.
It was the first major televised match card in the location since Hatton's death. As the final chime ended, the silence gave way to a roar of "there's just one Hatton".
The fighting within the ring equaled the sentiment. Arthur was floored by a significant blow directly to the jaw in the early round, getting up unsteadily to his feet on the referee's count.
But the Manchester United-red equipment of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. Across the ring, the opponent - in rival City blue - was marked up early, noticeable damage forming under his eye as the pair traded powerful shots.
The challenger, 27, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, thirty-four, responded in kind with stinging uppercuts as the intensity rarely dropped over 12 rounds.
Arthur narrowly won the result with official scores of draw, 115-113 and wider gap, but both fighters were relentless and full of heart, exactly what their idol Hatton represented.
