British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet unimpressive start to his career under new promoters with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level appeared to earn him a majority decision in a close 10-round fight at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger found success, landing some telling individual punches in a fight where the techniques failed to mesh, with excessive holding disrupting the action.
Two judges judged it 96-94 to the winner, with the remaining official a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my best showing but what defines champions? They win," Buatsi commented in the ringside as he was faced negative reactions from the crowd.
The Londoner got back to winning after his initial pro loss - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a twentieth professional win.
Various analysts felt the challenger, thirty-one, merited the win but the Derbyshire fighter experienced the second loss of his 28-match professional journey.
The Champion Earns Triumph in Uneventful Match
Buatsi's progress has slowed in recent years through management issues and extended periods of inactivity.
Previously predicted as the rising talent of UK boxing, he now finds himself trying to realize his potential - perhaps in what seems like a last chance - under recent support.
He started carefully, with both competitors willing to be aggressive in a calculated initial rounds.
Parker, whose single earlier setback came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in two years ago after suffering a hand injury in the contest, was making just his second bout at light-heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, the underdog had kept it close, causing problems for the favorite, who worked behind a solid defense to barely take the more effective stanzas.
The crowd's patience decreased amid constant clinching, with the challenger slipping to the canvas multiple occasions during clinches.
Parker ended stronger, but several stanzas were difficult to score. However, former world champion the boxing analyst - working with Dazn - had it significantly in favor for the challenger, awarding Buatsi just a single round.
The victor progresses, but with the caliber of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the path to championship success - on this evidence - still looks steep.
Hatton Homage Fuels All-Manchester Battle
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur beat Bradley Rea by divided decision in a excellent Manchester vs Manchester battle to secure the continental belt.
The stadium became quiet for a profoundly moving homage prior to the bout as ten bells sounded in remembrance of the city's native Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in September.
It was the first major televised match card in the location since the passing of Hatton. As the last bell faded, the stillness transitioned to a chant of "there's just one Hatton".
The competition during the bout equaled the emotion. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a left hook flush on the jaw in the initial stage, getting up unsteadily to his footing on the eight count.
But the traditional red shorts of Arthur soon came forward again. From the other corner, Rea - in competitive blue - was injured quickly, heavy swelling forming under his eye as the pair landed hard punches.
Rea, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but the champion, 34, fought fire with fire with stinging uppercuts as the action hardly diminished over twelve rounds.
Arthur edged the decision with official scores of even score, narrow lead and 115-112, but each competitor were determined and brave, everything their inspiration Hatton embodied.
