UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet unimpressive debut to his career under fresh promotional backing with a decision win over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's work rate seemingly secured him a majority decision in a close 10-round fight at the Manchester venue.
But Parker had his moments, landing some telling single shots in a contest where the approaches never quite clicked, with constant grabbing marring the fight.
Two judges judged it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the remaining official a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my best performance but what defines champions? They succeed," the victor commented in the ring as he was greeted with disapproval from the crowd.
The Londoner bounced back after his first professional defeat - an epic battle with Callum Smith in last winter - to claim a 20th career victory.
Several boxing experts believed Parker, thirty-one, merited the decision but the British boxer experienced the second setback of his 28-match career.
Buatsi Claims Triumph in Dull Encounter
His career development has plateaued in recent years through promotional disputes and long spells of lack of fights.
Once tipped as the future of the British fight scene, he now finds himself trying to achieve expectations - possibly in what appears to be a ultimate opportunity - under recent support.
He began cautiously, with both competitors ready to be aggressive in a tentative opening few rounds.
The challenger, whose sole prior loss came at super middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after breaking his hand in the contest, was participating in his second appearance at light heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had stayed in contention, causing problems for the favorite, who operated with a solid defense to narrowly win the cleaner periods.
The audience's tolerance diminished amid frequent holding, with the challenger falling to the floor several times during grappling.
The underdog ended stronger, but many rounds were difficult to score. Nevertheless, former world champion the boxing analyst - commentating on the broadcast network - had it significantly in favor for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just one round.
The victor progresses, but with the presence of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - judging by this showing - still appears challenging.
Ricky Hatton Tribute Inspires Manchester Derby Battle
In the co-main event, Arthur defeated Rea by divided decision in a excellent local rivalry contest to secure the European light-heavyweight championship.
The venue became quiet for a profoundly moving homage prior to the bout as ten bells sounded in honor of local hero Ricky Hatton, who succumbed 46 years old in last month.
It was the first major televised fight night in the location since the passing of Hatton. As the concluding sound faded, the silence gave way to a shout of "only one Ricky Hatton".
The fighting within the ring reflected the feeling. The eventual winner was knocked down by a significant blow squarely on the face in the initial stage, rising shakily to his footing on the eight count.
But the Manchester United-red shorts of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. Across the ring, the opponent - in competitive blue - was marked up soon, significant bruising forming under his orbital area as the duo landed powerful shots.
Rea, 27, landed power punches but Arthur, 34, fought fire with fire with stinging uppercuts as the action rarely dropped over 12 rounds.
Arthur barely secured the verdict with judges scorecards of draw, close margin and wider gap, but each competitor were relentless and courageous, all the qualities their idol Hatton embodied.
