British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming start to his career under recent management with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate likely gained him a judges' verdict in a competitive ten-round bout at the Manchester venue.
But the challenger had his moments, delivering effective single shots in a contest where the techniques failed to mesh, with frequent clinching disrupting the fight.
Two judges had it 96-94 to the winner, with the third a even score.
"It wasn't my best performance but what do champions do? They succeed," Buatsi commented in the ring as he was faced boos from the crowd.
The British fighter got back to winning after his first professional defeat - an epic battle with his previous opponent in February - to claim a twentieth professional win.
Various analysts thought Parker, 31, deserved the victory but the Derbyshire fighter suffered the second defeat of his 28-fight professional journey.
The Champion Secures Triumph in Dull Affair
The fighter's advancement has plateaued in recent times through promotional disputes and considerable time of inactivity.
Once tipped as the rising talent of UK boxing, he now finds himself trying to achieve expectations - perhaps in what feels like a ultimate opportunity - under fresh management.
He opened tentatively, with neither fighter ready to overcommit in a calculated early stages.
Parker, whose single earlier setback came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in 2022 after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was making just his second fight at the higher weight class.
By the halfway stage, the underdog had kept it close, creating difficulties for the favorite, who worked behind a solid defense to narrowly win the cleaner rounds.
The audience's tolerance decreased because of regular grabbing, with Parker falling to the floor several times during grappling.
The underdog closed well, but multiple periods were hard to judge. Nevertheless, former world champion the boxing analyst - working with Dazn - had it strongly leaning for Parker, awarding Buatsi just a single round.
The victor moves on, but with the presence of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Russian champion Bivol ruling the division, the journey to titles - based on this performance - still looks steep.
Ricky Hatton Tribute Motivates Manchester Derby Contest
In the supporting bout, Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by close verdict in a terrific local rivalry fight to capture the European light heavyweight belt.
The stadium fell silent for a deeply poignant memorial prior to the bout as a bell ceremony sounded in memory of Manchester's own Hatton, who succumbed at age 46 in recently.
It was the premier televised match card in the location since the passing of Hatton. As the final chime ended, the quiet gave way to a chant of "only one Ricky Hatton".
The action inside the ropes equaled the sentiment. Arthur was floored by a left hook directly to the face in the early round, rising shakily to his feet on the eight count.
But the red-colored equipment of the fighter soon advanced again. On the opposite side, Rea - in opposing blue - was marked up early, noticeable damage developing under his eye as the pair landed hard punches.
The challenger, 27, landed power punches but Arthur, thirty-four, matched the intensity with effective uppercuts as the intensity seldom decreased over 12 rounds.
Arthur edged the verdict with official scores of even score, close margin and clearer margin, but each competitor were persistent and courageous, exactly what their hero Hatton embodied.
