British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet unimpressive start to his career under recent management with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's punch output appeared to earn him a judges' verdict in a close 10-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger had his moments, connecting with powerful individual punches in a match where the styles failed to mesh, with frequent clinching marring the fight.
Two judges scored it 96-94 to the winner, with the third a 95-95.
"It wasn't my best performance but what defines champions? They succeed," the victor said in the arena as he was faced boos from the crowd.
The British fighter got back to winning after his initial pro loss - an epic battle with his previous opponent in last winter - to secure a twentieth professional win.
Some ringside observers felt the challenger, thirty-one, merited the win but the Derbyshire fighter experienced the second defeat of his 28-bout career.
Buatsi Claims Win in Uneventful Affair
The fighter's advancement has slowed in recent times through promotional disputes and considerable time of lack of fights.
Once tipped as the rising talent of the British fight scene, he now stands trying to fulfil that early promise - perhaps in what appears to be a ultimate opportunity - under new promotional backing.
He started carefully, with neither fighter willing to be aggressive in a calculated early stages.
The challenger, whose sole prior loss came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in two years ago after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was participating in his second appearance at light-heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, the underdog had kept it close, making life awkward for Buatsi, who operated with a tight guard to barely take the better stanzas.
The crowd's patience decreased because of constant clinching, with Parker going down several times during close exchanges.
Parker ended stronger, but several stanzas were difficult to score. Although, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - providing analysis for Dazn - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just one round.
The victor moves on, but with the presence of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Russian champion Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - on this evidence - still appears challenging.
Ricky Hatton Tribute Motivates All-Manchester Contest
In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur defeated Rea by close verdict in a terrific local rivalry contest to win the European light heavyweight title.
The arena fell silent for a extremely emotional memorial prior to the bout as a bell ceremony rang in remembrance of the city's native Hatton, who died at age 46 in recently.
It was the premier televised boxing event in the urban center since the passing of Hatton. As the final chime disappeared, the silence transitioned to a shout of "there's just one Hatton".
The fighting inside the ropes matched the sentiment. The eventual winner was floored by a significant blow flush on the jaw in the second round, standing uncertainly to his footing on the count of eight.
But the red-colored shorts of the fighter soon came forward again. From the other corner, the opponent - in opposing blue - was injured soon, noticeable damage appearing under his face as the pair traded powerful shots.
Rea, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, thirty-four, responded in kind with stinging uppercuts as the action hardly diminished over the full distance.
The victor barely secured the decision with scoring tallies of 114-114, 115-113 and clearer margin, but the two athletes were determined and full of heart, exactly what their inspiration Hatton represented.
