UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming debut to life under fresh promotional backing with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's activity level seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a competitive ten-round bout at the Co-op Live Arena.
But Parker landed significant shots, connecting with powerful single shots in a fight where the techniques never quite clicked, with frequent clinching spoiling the fight.
Two judges scored it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the remaining official a 95-95.
"It wasn't my finest display but what do champions do? They prevail," the victor said in the ring as he was met by negative reactions from the audience.
The Londoner bounced back after his first professional defeat - an epic battle with his previous opponent in last winter - to earn a 20th career victory.
Various analysts felt the challenger, thirty-one, merited the win but the Derbyshire fighter experienced the second loss of his 28-fight career.
Buatsi Secures Win in Uneventful Match
Buatsi's progress has plateaued in recent years through management issues and long spells of inactivity.
Previously predicted as the future of the British fight scene, he now stands trying to realize his potential - maybe in what appears to be a final roll of the dice - under recent support.
He began cautiously, with neither fighter willing to overcommit in a cagey opening few rounds.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in two years ago after damaging his hand mid-fight, was participating in his second appearance at the higher weight class.
By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had kept it close, causing problems for Buatsi, who operated with a protective stance to narrowly win the cleaner periods.
The spectators' acceptance diminished because of frequent holding, with Parker going down several times during clinches.
The underdog finished the stronger, but several stanzas were difficult to score. Although, former world champion Carl Frampton - commentating on the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just one round.
The victor progresses, but with the presence of hard hitter Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Bivol dominating the weight class, the path to championship success - based on this performance - still appears challenging.
Hatton Homage Inspires Manchester Derby Contest
In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur beat Rea by split-decision in a terrific all-Manchester battle to secure the European light heavyweight belt.
The arena grew hushed for a extremely emotional tribute ahead of the contest as ten bells sounded in honor of local hero Hatton, who died aged 46 in recently.
It was the first major televised fight night in the city since Hatton's passing. As the last bell ended, the quiet gave way to a chant of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The competition inside the ropes equaled the sentiment. The eventual winner was floored by a left hook squarely on the chin in the initial stage, getting up unsteadily to his position on the referee's count.
But the red-colored equipment of the fighter soon came forward again. On the opposite side, Rea - in competitive blue - was damaged early, heavy swelling appearing under his eye as the fighters traded hard punches.
The challenger, 27, landed power punches but the champion, 34, fought fire with fire with stinging uppercuts as the pace seldom decreased over twelve rounds.
The victor narrowly won the result with scoring tallies of 114-114, close margin and 115-112, but the two athletes were relentless and courageous, exactly what their hero Hatton represented.
