UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win 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 punch output likely gained him a majority decision in a close 10-round contest at the Manchester venue.
But Parker had his moments, connecting with powerful individual punches in a match where the approaches failed to mesh, with frequent clinching spoiling the action.
Two judges judged it 96-94 for to the winner, with the remaining official a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my best showing but what do champions do? They prevail," Buatsi stated in the arena as he was met by boos from the crowd.
The Londoner bounced back after his maiden career setback - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in February - to claim a 20th pro success.
Some ringside observers felt the challenger, thirty-one, merited the decision but the contender suffered the second loss of his 28-fight career.
Buatsi Earns Victory in Dull Match
The fighter's advancement has slowed in the past few years through promotional disputes and considerable time of inactivity.
Once tipped as the next star of the British fight scene, he now finds himself trying to fulfil that early promise - perhaps in what appears to be a final roll of the dice - under recent support.
He opened tentatively, with both competitors willing to take risks in a cagey opening few rounds.
The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after damaging his hand in the contest, was making just his second fight at light-heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, Parker had stayed in contention, making life awkward for the favorite, who operated with a protective stance to edge the more effective stanzas.
The spectators' acceptance diminished because of regular grabbing, with Parker slipping to the canvas several times during grappling.
The underdog closed well, but many rounds were difficult to score. Although, previous titleholder Carl Frampton - working with the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for Parker, awarding Buatsi just a single round.
Buatsi moves on, but with the likes of hard hitter 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 Inspires Manchester Derby Fight
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by split-decision in a terrific Manchester vs Manchester battle to capture the European light heavyweight belt.
The arena fell silent for a extremely emotional homage before the fight as ten bells sounded in honor of the city's native Hatton, who succumbed at age 46 in last month.
It was the initial significant broadcast boxing event in the location since Hatton's death. As the concluding sound ended, the stillness gave way to a roar of "there's only one Hatton".
The fighting within the ring matched the feeling. The eventual winner was knocked down by a significant blow flush on the face in the initial stage, getting up unsteadily to his footing on the eight count.
But the traditional red attire of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. From the other corner, Rea - in opposing blue - was marked up soon, heavy swelling forming under his eye as the duo landed hard punches.
Rea, twenty-seven, landed power punches but the champion, thirty-four, matched the intensity with powerful upward punches as the pace hardly diminished over twelve rounds.
The victor narrowly won the decision with official scores of draw, 115-113 and clearer margin, but both fighters were determined and courageous, exactly what their inspiration Hatton embodied.
