UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet disappointing start to life under new promoters with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate appeared to earn him a judges' verdict in a close ten-round contest 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 excessive holding spoiling the action.
The officials had it 96-94 to the winner, with the final judge a even score.
"It wasn't my greatest display but what defines champions? They win," the victor commented in the ringside as he was faced disapproval from the crowd.
The British fighter bounced back after his initial pro loss - an epic battle with his previous opponent in last winter - to earn a 20th career victory.
Some ringside observers believed Parker, thirty-one, should have been awarded the win but the British boxer experienced the second setback of his 28-match career.
The Champion Earns Victory in Dull Encounter
The fighter's advancement has slowed in recent years through contract problems and extended periods of lack of fights.
Previously predicted as the next star of UK boxing, he now finds himself trying to realize his potential - possibly in what appears to be a final roll of the dice - under new promotional backing.
He started carefully, with both competitors ready to overcommit in a calculated opening few rounds.
Parker, whose only previous defeat came at super middleweight against his former opponent in two years ago after suffering a hand injury mid-fight, was competing in only his second appearance at light-heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, the underdog had made it competitive, causing problems for the favorite, who utilized a solid defense to edge the cleaner stanzas.
The crowd's patience diminished because of regular grabbing, with Parker going down various instances during close exchanges.
The underdog finished the stronger, but many rounds were difficult to score. Nevertheless, former world champion Carl Frampton - working with the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for Parker, giving Buatsi just only one stanza.
The victor advances, but with the caliber of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian champion Bivol leading the category, the path to championship success - on this evidence - still seems difficult.
Ricky Hatton Homage Inspires All-Manchester Battle
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur defeated Rea by split-decision in a terrific all-Manchester contest to win the European light heavyweight championship.
The venue grew hushed for a extremely emotional memorial ahead of the contest as a bell ceremony tolled in honor of Manchester's own Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in recently.
It was the first major televised boxing event in the urban center since Hatton's passing. As the last bell disappeared, the stillness transitioned to a roar of "only one Hatton".
The fighting within the ring equaled the emotion. The eventual winner was floored by a significant blow squarely on the chin in the initial stage, rising shakily to his feet on the count of eight.
But the traditional red equipment of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. Across the ring, the opponent - in opposing blue - was damaged soon, significant bruising developing under his orbital area as the fighters landed punishing blows.
Rea, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but Arthur, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the pace rarely dropped over 12 rounds.
Arthur barely secured the result with judges scorecards of 114-114, 115-113 and clearer margin, but each competitor were persistent and full of heart, everything their idol Hatton embodied.
