UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming debut to his career under new promoters with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate appeared to earn him a majority decision in a competitive 10-round fight at the boxing arena.
But Parker had his moments, landing some telling single shots in a fight where the techniques never quite clicked, with frequent clinching spoiling the action.
The officials had it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the third a 95-95.
"It wasn't my finest display but what defines champions? They succeed," the victor commented in the ringside as he was faced disapproval from the crowd.
The British fighter got back to winning after his initial pro loss - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in last winter - to earn a 20th career victory.
Various analysts believed the challenger, thirty-one, should have been awarded the decision but the Derbyshire fighter endured the second loss of his 28-bout professional journey.
Buatsi Earns Win in Dull Encounter
Buatsi's progress has stalled in recent times through promotional disputes and extended periods of lack of fights.
Previously predicted as the rising talent of UK boxing, he now is positioned trying to achieve expectations - possibly in what feels like a final roll of the dice - under new promotional backing.
He opened tentatively, with neither fighter willing to overcommit in a tentative early stages.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after damaging his hand mid-fight, was making just his second appearance at light heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, the underdog had stayed in contention, creating difficulties for the favorite, who utilized a protective stance to edge the cleaner periods.
The audience's tolerance diminished amid constant clinching, with Parker falling to the floor various instances during close exchanges.
The underdog closed well, but multiple periods were hard to judge. Nevertheless, former world champion Carl Frampton - working with the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for Parker, giving Buatsi just a single round.
The victor advances, but with the likes of power puncher David Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the road to world glory - based on this performance - still appears challenging.
Hatton Tribute Motivates Local Rivalry Contest
In the secondary fight, Arthur overcame Rea by divided decision in a terrific local rivalry contest to win the European light heavyweight championship.
The arena grew hushed for a extremely emotional homage before the fight as ten bells rang in remembrance of the city's native Ricky Hatton, who succumbed aged 46 in September.
It was the initial significant broadcast boxing event in the urban center since Hatton's passing. As the final chime ended, the stillness transitioned to a chant of "only one Ricky Hatton".
The fighting within the ring matched the emotion. The eventual winner was knocked down by a powerful punch flush on the face in the initial stage, rising shakily to his feet on the referee's count.
But the red-colored equipment of Arthur soon came forward again. From the other corner, Rea - in rival City blue - was injured quickly, heavy swelling forming under his orbital area as the pair landed hard punches.
The challenger, 27, landed power punches but the champion, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with powerful upward punches as the action rarely dropped over twelve rounds.
The victor barely secured the decision with scoring tallies of 114-114, 115-113 and clearer margin, but each competitor were persistent and brave, all the qualities their idol the legend embodied.
