British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet underwhelming start to his career under recent management with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's activity level seemingly secured him a split decision in a competitive 10-round bout at the Co-op Live Arena.
But Parker had his moments, delivering effective clean blows in a fight where the styles failed to mesh, with excessive holding spoiling the contest.
The officials judged it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the remaining official a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my greatest showing but how do champions respond? They prevail," the victor stated in the arena as he was faced negative reactions from the spectators.
The British fighter got back to winning after his initial pro loss - an memorable fight with his previous opponent in February - to claim a 20th pro success.
Some ringside observers believed Parker, 31, merited the decision but the contender suffered the second setback of his 28-match professional journey.
The Champion Secures Triumph in Dull Affair
Buatsi's progress has slowed in recent times through promotional disputes and extended periods of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the future of the British fight scene, he now finds himself trying to achieve expectations - perhaps in what feels like a ultimate opportunity - under recent support.
He opened tentatively, with both competitors prepared to overcommit in a cagey initial rounds.
The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in 2022 after damaging his hand in the contest, was making just his second appearance at light-heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, Parker had stayed in contention, causing problems for Buatsi, who worked behind a solid defense to narrowly win the better periods.
The spectators' acceptance diminished amid frequent holding, with the challenger going down various instances during close exchanges.
The underdog closed well, but several stanzas were difficult to score. However, previous titleholder Carl Frampton - commentating on the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for Parker, awarding Buatsi just one round.
The victor progresses, but with the presence of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the road to world glory - based on this performance - still appears challenging.
Hatton Memorial Fuels Local Rivalry Battle
In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by split-decision in a terrific Manchester vs Manchester battle to secure the European light heavyweight belt.
The arena fell silent for a deeply poignant memorial before the fight as a bell ceremony sounded in remembrance of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who died 46 years old in recently.
It was the premier televised fight night in the urban center since Hatton's death. As the final chime faded, the stillness transitioned to a shout of "there's just one Hatton".
The competition within the ring reflected the feeling. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a significant blow squarely on the chin in the early round, getting up unsteadily to his position on the count of eight.
But the traditional red attire of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. Across the ring, the opponent - in competitive blue - was marked up quickly, noticeable damage developing under his face as the pair exchanged punishing blows.
The challenger, twenty-seven, landed power punches but the champion, 34, fought fire with fire with powerful upward punches as the action hardly diminished over 12 rounds.
Arthur barely secured the verdict with scoring tallies of draw, close margin and clearer margin, but the two athletes were determined and brave, exactly what their idol the legend stood for.
