UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet unimpressive beginning to life under new promoters with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic bronze medallist's punch output appeared to earn him a majority decision in a tight 10-round bout at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger found success, landing some telling individual punches in a fight where the approaches didn't complement each other, with excessive holding disrupting the action.
The scoring judges judged it 96-94 for to the winner, with the remaining official a 95-95.
"It wasn't my greatest display but how do champions respond? They win," Buatsi stated in the arena as he was greeted with negative reactions from the spectators.
The British fighter bounced back after his maiden career setback - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in last winter - to secure a twentieth professional win.
Some ringside observers believed Parker, thirty-one, merited the victory but the British boxer suffered the second setback of his 28-fight professional journey.
The Champion Claims Victory in Dull Encounter
Buatsi's progress has slowed in recent years through promotional disputes and extended periods of lack of fights.
Earlier forecast as the future of British boxing, he now is positioned trying to fulfil that early promise - maybe in what feels like a last chance - under recent support.
He opened tentatively, with the two boxers willing to be aggressive in a tentative opening few rounds.
The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in two years ago after damaging his hand in the contest, was participating in his second fight at the higher weight class.
By the halfway stage, Parker had stayed in contention, causing problems for the favorite, who worked behind a tight guard to barely take the better rounds.
The audience's tolerance diminished during regular grabbing, with the challenger slipping to the canvas various instances during close exchanges.
Parker ended stronger, but several stanzas were hard to judge. Although, ex-champion the boxing analyst - commentating on the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for Parker, giving Buatsi just a single round.
Buatsi progresses, but with the presence of power puncher Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the journey to titles - judging by this showing - still seems difficult.
Hatton Memorial Inspires Manchester Derby Fight
In the secondary fight, Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by close verdict in a outstanding Manchester vs Manchester contest to win the European light heavyweight belt.
The stadium became quiet for a extremely emotional tribute ahead of the contest as a bell ceremony rang in remembrance of local hero Hatton, who died at age 46 in last month.
It was the premier televised match card in the urban center since Hatton's passing. As the last bell disappeared, the stillness gave way to a shout of "only one Ricky Hatton".
The action during the bout equaled the feeling. The eventual winner was floored by a left hook flush on the jaw in the second round, standing uncertainly to his feet on the eight count.
But the traditional red shorts of Arthur soon advanced again. From the other corner, the opponent - in opposing blue - was damaged early, heavy swelling appearing under his face as the fighters exchanged hard punches.
Rea, twenty-seven, landed power punches but the champion, thirty-four, matched the intensity with effective uppercuts as the intensity hardly diminished over 12 rounds.
Arthur narrowly won the verdict with judges scorecards of 114-114, narrow lead and 115-112, but each competitor were determined and courageous, all the qualities their idol Hatton represented.
