British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet disappointing beginning to his career under fresh promotional backing with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's punch output appeared to earn him a judges' verdict in a tight ten-round fight at the boxing arena.
But the challenger landed significant shots, landing some telling single shots in a fight where the approaches failed to mesh, with frequent clinching marring the fight.
The scoring judges had it 96-94 in favor to the winner, with the third a even score.
"It wasn't my finest performance but what defines champions? They succeed," Buatsi commented in the ring as he was greeted with disapproval from the audience.
The Londoner got back to winning after his maiden career setback - an epic battle with his previous opponent in February - to secure a 20th pro success.
Several boxing experts felt the challenger, 31, should have been awarded the victory but the contender suffered the second setback of his 28-bout career.
The Champion Claims Victory in Uneventful Match
The fighter's advancement has slowed in the past few years through promotional disputes and considerable time of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the rising talent of British boxing, he now finds himself trying to realize his potential - perhaps in what appears to be a last chance - under recent support.
He began cautiously, with the two boxers willing to overcommit in a calculated initial rounds.
The challenger, whose sole prior loss came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in two years ago after damaging his hand in the contest, was participating in his second fight at light heavyweight.
By the halfway stage, Parker had stayed in contention, creating difficulties for the favorite, who utilized a tight guard to edge the better periods.
The spectators' acceptance diminished during constant clinching, with Parker falling to the floor various instances during close exchanges.
Parker closed well, but multiple periods were difficult to score. Nevertheless, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just one round.
The victor moves on, but with the caliber of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the road to world glory - based on this performance - still looks steep.
Ricky Hatton Memorial Motivates Local Rivalry Battle
In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur defeated Rea by close verdict in a terrific Manchester vs Manchester battle to capture the European light heavyweight title.
The venue grew hushed for a deeply poignant homage before the fight as a bell ceremony sounded in memory of the city's native Hatton, who succumbed 46 years old in September.
It was the premier televised match card in the urban center since Hatton's death. As the final chime faded, the stillness gave way to a roar of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".
The action inside the ropes equaled the sentiment. Arthur was knocked down by a powerful punch squarely on the chin in the second round, rising shakily to his feet on the referee's count.
But the traditional red shorts of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in competitive blue - was injured soon, significant bruising appearing under his face as the fighters exchanged powerful shots.
Rea, 27, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, 34, matched the intensity with stinging uppercuts as the intensity hardly diminished over the full distance.
Arthur narrowly won the verdict with official scores of draw, 115-113 and wider gap, but the two athletes were determined and courageous, everything their idol Hatton embodied.
