UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet unimpressive debut to his career under recent management with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate likely gained him a judges' verdict in a tight 10-round fight at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger found success, connecting with powerful clean blows in a contest where the approaches never quite clicked, with constant grabbing marring the fight.
Two judges had it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the remaining official a 95-95.
"It wasn't my best display but what defines champions? They prevail," Buatsi said in the ring as he was met by negative reactions from the audience.
The Londoner bounced back after his first professional defeat - an memorable fight with his previous opponent in last winter - to claim a 20th career victory.
Some ringside observers thought the challenger, thirty-one, should have been awarded the decision but the Derbyshire fighter experienced the second defeat of his 28-fight professional journey.
The Champion Secures Triumph in Dull Match
The fighter's advancement has stalled in recent times through contract problems and extended periods of inactivity.
Once tipped as the rising talent of the British fight scene, he now is positioned trying to achieve expectations - maybe in what seems like a final roll of the dice - under recent support.
He began cautiously, with neither fighter prepared to overcommit in a cagey initial rounds.
The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after damaging his hand during the bout, was participating in his second appearance at the higher weight class.
By the halfway stage, Parker had kept it close, making life awkward for the favorite, who worked behind a protective stance to edge the more effective periods.
The crowd's patience decreased because of frequent holding, with Parker going down various instances during close exchanges.
Parker ended stronger, but many rounds were hard to judge. However, previous titleholder Carl Frampton - working with the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for Parker, awarding Buatsi just a single round.
The victor advances, but with the likes of power puncher Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the path to championship success - on this evidence - still appears challenging.
Hatton Memorial Fuels All-Manchester Battle
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by divided decision in a terrific Manchester vs Manchester contest to secure the European light heavyweight belt.
The venue became quiet for a extremely emotional memorial before the fight as 10 bells rang in memory of local hero Ricky Hatton, who died at age 46 in recently.
It was the initial significant broadcast boxing event in the urban center since the passing of Hatton. As the concluding sound disappeared, the silence became a shout of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The competition within the ring reflected the sentiment. The eventual winner was knocked down by a left hook directly to the jaw in the early round, rising shakily to his position on the eight count.
But the red-colored attire of Arthur soon advanced again. Across the ring, the opponent - in competitive blue - was marked up soon, noticeable damage appearing under his eye as the pair exchanged hard punches.
The challenger, twenty-seven, landed power punches but Arthur, 34, matched the intensity with effective uppercuts as the pace rarely dropped over 12 rounds.
Arthur edged the verdict with official scores of draw, close margin and 115-112, but both fighters were persistent and brave, everything their inspiration the legend represented.
