UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming start to life under new promoters with a decision win over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate likely gained him a judges' verdict in a tight ten-round bout at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger had his moments, delivering effective individual punches in a contest where the approaches failed to mesh, with excessive holding marring the contest.
The officials scored it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the third a 95-95.
"It wasn't my greatest performance but how do champions respond? They prevail," the victor said in the ringside as he was greeted with negative reactions from the spectators.
The Londoner returned to winning ways after his first professional defeat - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in last winter - to claim a twentieth professional win.
Several boxing experts felt Parker, 31, should have been awarded the victory but the British boxer experienced the second setback of his 28-match professional journey.
Buatsi Earns Victory in Dull Encounter
The fighter's advancement has slowed in recent times through contract problems and considerable time of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the next star of the British fight scene, he now is positioned trying to fulfil that early promise - possibly in what feels like a last chance - under new promotional backing.
He began cautiously, with the two boxers ready to take risks in a calculated early stages.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after breaking his hand during the bout, was making just his second fight at light-heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, Parker had kept it close, creating difficulties for Buatsi, who operated with a protective stance to barely take the more effective stanzas.
The crowd's patience decreased during regular grabbing, with the challenger slipping to the canvas multiple occasions during clinches.
Parker finished the stronger, but many rounds were challenging to assess. Nevertheless, former world champion Carl Frampton - working with Dazn - had it significantly in favor for Parker, giving Buatsi just one round.
Buatsi progresses, but with the likes of power puncher David Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - based on this performance - still seems difficult.
Hatton Homage Inspires Manchester Derby Fight
In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur defeated Rea by divided decision in a terrific local rivalry battle to win the continental title.
The stadium grew hushed for a extremely emotional memorial before the fight as a bell ceremony rang in remembrance of the city's native Ricky Hatton, who succumbed at age 46 in last month.
It was the initial significant broadcast boxing event in the urban center since Hatton's passing. As the last bell ended, the silence became a shout of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The action inside the ropes equaled the sentiment. The eventual winner was floored by a significant blow squarely on the face in the second round, getting up unsteadily to his footing on the count of eight.
But the Manchester United-red equipment of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, Rea - in opposing blue - was damaged early, heavy swelling developing under his orbital area as the pair traded hard punches.
Rea, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but the champion, 34, fought fire with fire with powerful upward punches as the intensity rarely dropped over the full distance.
Arthur narrowly won the verdict with official scores of draw, close margin and clearer margin, but each competitor were persistent and full of heart, everything their idol Hatton stood for.
