UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming beginning to life under recent management with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level seemingly secured him a majority decision in a tight 10-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.
But Parker landed significant shots, delivering effective individual punches in a fight where the styles didn't complement each other, with frequent clinching disrupting the contest.
The officials had it 96-94 to the winner, with the final judge a 95-95.
"It wasn't my best display but what defines champions? They win," the victor commented in the ring as he was faced disapproval from the audience.
The Londoner bounced back after his initial pro loss - an memorable fight with his previous opponent in last winter - to claim a twentieth professional win.
Several boxing experts believed Parker, thirty-one, should have been awarded the win but the British boxer endured the second defeat of his 28-fight career.
The Champion Claims Victory in Dull Match
The fighter's advancement has stalled in recent years through management issues and long spells of inactivity.
Once tipped as the future of UK boxing, he now is positioned trying to achieve expectations - perhaps in what feels like a last chance - under fresh management.
He started carefully, with neither fighter willing to be aggressive in a calculated early stages.
The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at the lower weight class against John Ryder in 2022 after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was competing in only his second appearance at the higher weight class.
By the halfway stage, the underdog had stayed in contention, creating difficulties for Buatsi, who utilized a tight guard to barely take the more effective stanzas.
The spectators' acceptance decreased because of frequent holding, with the challenger slipping to the canvas multiple occasions during clinches.
The underdog finished the stronger, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. Nevertheless, ex-champion the boxing analyst - commentating on the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, giving Buatsi just only one stanza.
Buatsi moves on, but with the presence of power puncher Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the path to championship success - judging by this showing - still appears challenging.
Ricky Hatton Homage Fuels Manchester Derby Battle
In the co-main event, Arthur defeated Rea by divided decision in a terrific local rivalry fight to secure the European light heavyweight championship.
The venue became quiet for a profoundly moving memorial prior to the bout as 10 bells rang in remembrance of local hero Ricky Hatton, who succumbed at age 46 in September.
It was the premier televised boxing event in the location since Hatton's passing. As the last bell ended, the silence transitioned to a shout of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The action within the ring equaled the sentiment. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a left hook directly to the chin in the second round, rising shakily to his position on the referee's count.
But the traditional red equipment of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. Across the ring, Rea - in rival City blue - was marked up soon, heavy swelling developing under his orbital area as the pair exchanged punishing blows.
The challenger, 27, delivered effective strikes but the champion, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with powerful upward punches as the intensity rarely dropped over the full distance.
Arthur narrowly won the result with scoring tallies of 114-114, close margin and clearer margin, but each competitor were relentless and brave, everything their idol the legend represented.
