UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming start to life under recent management with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate likely gained him a majority decision in a tight 10-round contest at the boxing arena.
But Parker had his moments, delivering effective single shots in a fight where the approaches failed to mesh, with frequent clinching disrupting the fight.
The scoring judges judged it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the third a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my finest performance but what do champions do? They win," the victor stated in the ringside as he was greeted with disapproval from the audience.
The Londoner returned to winning ways after his maiden career setback - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in last winter - to claim a 20th pro success.
Various analysts thought Parker, 31, deserved the victory but the contender endured the second setback of his 28-bout career.
The Champion Earns Triumph in Dull Affair
The fighter's advancement has slowed in recent years through management issues and extended periods of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the future of British boxing, he now is positioned trying to achieve expectations - maybe in what appears to be a last chance - under recent support.
He began cautiously, with the two boxers ready to take risks in a calculated initial rounds.
Parker, whose only previous defeat came at the lower weight class against John Ryder in 2022 after suffering a hand injury in the contest, was making just his second bout at light-heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, Parker had made it competitive, causing problems for the favorite, who utilized a tight guard to edge the cleaner stanzas.
The crowd's patience diminished because of frequent holding, with the challenger falling to the floor various instances during close exchanges.
The underdog closed well, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. Although, former world champion Carl Frampton - providing analysis for Dazn - had it particularly wide for Parker, giving Buatsi just one round.
Buatsi advances, but with the likes of power puncher Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Bivol dominating the weight class, the road to world glory - judging by this showing - still appears challenging.
Ricky Hatton Homage Motivates Local Rivalry Contest
In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by split-decision in a excellent all-Manchester contest to capture the European light-heavyweight championship.
The stadium became quiet for a profoundly moving memorial before the fight as 10 bells tolled in memory of local hero Ricky Hatton, who passed away 46 years old in September.
It was the premier televised boxing event in the city since Hatton's death. As the last bell faded, the silence became a shout of "there's only one Hatton".
The fighting within the ring equaled the feeling. Arthur was floored by a left hook directly to the chin in the early round, getting up unsteadily to his position on the count of eight.
But the Manchester United-red shorts of the fighter soon came forward again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in rival City blue - was damaged soon, noticeable damage developing under his face as the duo traded hard punches.
The challenger, twenty-seven, landed power punches but the champion, 34, matched the intensity with powerful upward punches as the action rarely dropped over twelve rounds.
Arthur barely secured the result with scoring tallies of draw, 115-113 and clearer margin, but the two athletes were determined and courageous, everything their hero the legend represented.
