British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming start to his career under recent management with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's work rate appeared to earn him a majority decision in a close ten-round fight at the Manchester venue.
But Parker landed significant shots, connecting with powerful clean blows in a contest where the styles didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing marring the contest.
Two judges judged it 96-94 in favor to the winner, with the final judge a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my best performance but what do champions do? They win," Buatsi stated in the ring as he was greeted with negative reactions from the crowd.
The British fighter bounced back after his first professional defeat - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in last winter - to earn a 20th pro success.
Various analysts believed Parker, 31, merited the victory but the Derbyshire fighter endured the second defeat of his 28-match career.
Buatsi Claims Win in Dull Encounter
Buatsi's progress has plateaued in the past few years through promotional disputes and considerable time of lack of fights.
Previously predicted as the rising talent of UK boxing, he now stands trying to realize his potential - possibly in what appears to be a last chance - under recent support.
He opened tentatively, with both competitors ready to be aggressive in a calculated initial rounds.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super middleweight against John Ryder in two years ago after suffering a hand injury mid-fight, was participating in his second fight at the higher weight class.
By the middle rounds, Parker had kept it close, creating difficulties for the favorite, who operated with a tight guard to edge the more effective stanzas.
The spectators' acceptance diminished because of frequent holding, with the challenger going down multiple occasions during clinches.
The underdog finished the stronger, but many rounds were challenging to assess. Nevertheless, previous titleholder Carl Frampton - providing analysis for Dazn - had it significantly in favor for Parker, awarding Buatsi just a single round.
Buatsi advances, but with the caliber of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol ruling the division, the journey to titles - judging by this showing - still looks steep.
Ricky Hatton Memorial Fuels Local Rivalry Fight
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur defeated Rea by close verdict in a terrific local rivalry battle to capture the European light-heavyweight championship.
The stadium became quiet for a extremely emotional homage ahead of the contest as 10 bells tolled in honor of Manchester's own Hatton, who succumbed at age 46 in last month.
It was the premier televised fight night in the urban center since the passing of Hatton. As the final chime faded, the silence gave way to a roar of "there's only one Hatton".
The action inside the ropes equaled the sentiment. The eventual winner was floored by a significant blow directly to the face in the second round, getting up unsteadily to his feet on the count of eight.
But the Manchester United-red shorts of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, Rea - in rival City blue - was damaged early, significant bruising forming under his orbital area as the fighters exchanged punishing blows.
Rea, twenty-seven, landed power punches but Arthur, thirty-four, matched the intensity with powerful upward punches as the intensity seldom decreased over the full distance.
The victor edged the result with judges scorecards of draw, 115-113 and 115-112, but each competitor were relentless and full of heart, all the qualities their hero the legend represented.
