British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet unimpressive start to life under recent management with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic bronze medallist's punch output likely gained him a majority decision in a tight ten-round contest at the boxing arena.
But Parker found success, delivering effective single shots in a contest where the styles failed to mesh, with excessive holding marring the contest.
The officials had it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the remaining official a 95-95.
"It wasn't my finest display but what defines champions? They prevail," Buatsi stated in the arena as he was greeted with boos from the crowd.
The British fighter bounced back after his initial pro loss - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in last winter - to claim a twentieth professional win.
Several boxing experts thought Parker, thirty-one, should have been awarded the decision but the contender endured the second setback of his 28-fight professional journey.
The Champion Earns Triumph in Slow Affair
The fighter's advancement has slowed in the past few years through contract problems and considerable time of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the future of British boxing, he now stands trying to fulfil that early promise - maybe in what appears to be a final roll of the dice - under fresh management.
He opened tentatively, with both competitors willing to be aggressive in a calculated initial rounds.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was competing in only his second bout at light-heavyweight.
By the halfway stage, Parker had kept it close, causing problems for Buatsi, who utilized a tight guard to narrowly win the better rounds.
The audience's tolerance diminished during frequent holding, with Parker slipping to the canvas various instances during close exchanges.
The underdog closed well, but multiple periods were difficult to score. Nevertheless, previous titleholder Carl Frampton - working with Dazn - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just a single round.
Buatsi progresses, but with the presence of power puncher David Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - based on this performance - still looks steep.
Hatton Memorial Fuels All-Manchester Battle
In the supporting bout, Arthur defeated Rea by close verdict in a outstanding all-Manchester fight to win the European light-heavyweight belt.
The stadium fell silent for a profoundly moving memorial before the fight as ten bells tolled in honor of Manchester's own Hatton, who succumbed at age 46 in September.
It was the premier televised fight night in the location since the passing of Hatton. As the concluding sound disappeared, the quiet transitioned to a shout of "only one Hatton".
The fighting inside the ropes reflected the emotion. Arthur was floored by a left hook flush on the face in the second round, standing uncertainly to his position on the eight count.
But the traditional red equipment of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, Rea - in competitive blue - was injured early, significant bruising forming under his orbital area as the fighters landed hard punches.
The challenger, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the action seldom decreased over 12 rounds.
The victor narrowly won the result with official scores of draw, narrow lead and wider gap, but the two athletes were relentless and brave, exactly what their hero the legend represented.
