UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet disappointing debut to life under recent management with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's punch output appeared to earn him a majority decision in a tight 10-round contest at the Manchester venue.
But Parker had his moments, delivering effective clean blows in a contest where the techniques never quite clicked, with frequent clinching disrupting the action.
The scoring judges had it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the final judge a even score.
"It wasn't my greatest showing but how do champions respond? They win," Buatsi said in the ringside as he was greeted with negative reactions from the crowd.
The Londoner bounced back after his first professional defeat - an memorable fight with his previous opponent in last winter - to claim a 20th pro success.
Several boxing experts thought Parker, thirty-one, should have been awarded the decision but the contender experienced the second loss of his 28-match professional journey.
The Champion Earns Triumph in Uneventful Match
His career development has stalled in recent times through management issues and considerable time of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the future of British boxing, he now finds himself trying to achieve expectations - perhaps in what feels like a last chance - under new promotional backing.
He started carefully, with neither fighter prepared to take risks in a cagey opening few rounds.
The challenger, whose sole prior loss came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after breaking his hand mid-fight, was participating in his second appearance at the higher weight class.
By the halfway stage, the underdog had stayed in contention, causing problems for the favorite, who worked behind a tight guard to narrowly win the more effective rounds.
The spectators' acceptance diminished during regular grabbing, with Parker going down several times during close exchanges.
Parker closed well, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. Although, ex-champion the boxing analyst - commentating on the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just only one stanza.
Buatsi progresses, but with the presence of hard hitter Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the road to world glory - based on this performance - still seems difficult.
Ricky Hatton Tribute Fuels Manchester Derby Contest
In the supporting bout, Arthur defeated Rea by close verdict in a terrific local rivalry contest to secure the continental belt.
The stadium became quiet for a extremely emotional memorial prior to the bout as a bell ceremony sounded in memory of Manchester's own Hatton, who died 46 years old in last month.
It was the premier televised match card in the city since Hatton's death. As the concluding sound disappeared, the quiet became a shout of "only one Hatton".
The competition during the bout matched the sentiment. Arthur was knocked down by a left hook flush on the jaw in the early round, rising shakily to his position on the eight count.
But the Manchester United-red shorts of the fighter soon came forward again. On the opposite side, Rea - in opposing blue - was marked up soon, heavy swelling forming under his face as the pair traded hard punches.
The challenger, 27, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, 34, responded in kind with powerful upward punches as the intensity hardly diminished over 12 rounds.
The victor edged the verdict with official scores of draw, narrow lead and clearer margin, but each competitor were determined and brave, all the qualities their idol the legend stood for.
