British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet disappointing start to his career under recent management with a decision win over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's punch output seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a close ten-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger had his moments, delivering effective clean blows in a contest where the styles failed to mesh, with constant grabbing marring the contest.
The officials judged it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the final judge a even score.
"It wasn't my greatest display but what do champions do? They succeed," the victor said in the arena as he was greeted with negative reactions from the crowd.
The British fighter bounced back after his initial pro loss - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a twentieth professional win.
Some ringside observers thought Parker, 31, deserved the victory but the contender suffered the second defeat of his 28-fight professional journey.
The Champion Claims Triumph in Dull Match
The fighter's advancement has stalled in the past few years through management issues and extended periods of lack of fights.
Earlier forecast as the next star of British boxing, he now stands trying to realize his potential - possibly in what seems like a final roll of the dice - under fresh management.
He opened tentatively, with both competitors ready to take risks in a tentative initial rounds.
The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at super middleweight against his former opponent in two years ago after damaging his hand in the contest, was making just his second appearance at light-heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, Parker had made it competitive, causing problems for the favorite, who operated with a tight guard to narrowly win the more effective rounds.
The audience's tolerance decreased amid frequent holding, with the challenger slipping to the canvas several times during grappling.
Parker closed well, but several stanzas were hard to judge. Although, ex-champion the boxing analyst - working with the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for Parker, awarding Buatsi just a single round.
The victor advances, but with the likes of power puncher David Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - judging by this showing - still seems difficult.
Ricky Hatton Memorial Motivates Local Rivalry Fight
In the co-main event, Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by divided decision in a excellent Manchester vs Manchester fight to capture the European light-heavyweight championship.
The venue became quiet for a extremely emotional homage ahead of the contest as 10 bells rang in memory of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in recently.
It was the initial significant broadcast fight night in the urban center since Hatton's death. As the final chime disappeared, the quiet gave way to a chant of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The competition within the ring matched the emotion. The eventual winner was knocked down by a left hook directly to the face in the early round, getting up unsteadily to his feet on the referee's count.
But the red-colored shorts of Arthur soon advanced again. On the opposite side, Rea - in rival City blue - was injured quickly, heavy swelling forming under his orbital area as the fighters exchanged punishing blows.
Rea, 27, connected with strong blows but the champion, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with stinging uppercuts as the intensity rarely dropped over 12 rounds.
The victor narrowly won the decision with scoring tallies of even score, close margin and clearer margin, but each competitor were persistent and full of heart, exactly what their inspiration Hatton represented.
