British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet unimpressive beginning to his career under fresh promotional backing with a decision win over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's punch output appeared to earn him a judges' verdict in a tight 10-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.
But Parker found success, connecting with powerful clean blows in a fight where the techniques didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing disrupting the contest.
Two judges had it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the remaining official 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 met by disapproval from the crowd.
The British fighter got back to winning after his maiden career setback - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in February - to secure a twentieth professional win.
Various analysts thought Parker, thirty-one, deserved the decision but the contender experienced the second setback of his 28-fight career.
The Champion Claims Triumph in Uneventful Encounter
The fighter's advancement has plateaued in the past few years through contract problems and considerable time of lack of fights.
Once tipped as the rising talent of British boxing, he now is positioned trying to fulfil that early promise - perhaps in what seems like a ultimate opportunity - under new promotional backing.
He began cautiously, with the two boxers ready to be aggressive in a cagey initial rounds.
Parker, whose only previous defeat came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after damaging his hand during the bout, was making just his second appearance at light-heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, Parker had kept it close, making life awkward for the favorite, who utilized a tight guard to narrowly win the cleaner stanzas.
The audience's tolerance wore thin during constant clinching, with Parker going down several times during close exchanges.
Parker closed well, but multiple periods were difficult to score. Although, former world champion Carl Frampton - working with Dazn - had it particularly wide for the challenger, giving Buatsi just a single round.
The victor advances, but with the likes of hard hitter Benavidez, and Russian champion Bivol dominating the weight class, the road to world glory - based on this performance - still appears challenging.
Hatton Memorial Motivates Local Rivalry Battle
In the supporting bout, Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by split-decision in a excellent local rivalry contest to secure the European light-heavyweight title.
The arena grew hushed for a deeply poignant tribute before the fight as ten bells rang in honor of local hero Ricky Hatton, who succumbed at age 46 in recently.
It was the initial significant broadcast boxing event in the urban center since Hatton's death. As the concluding sound ended, the quiet gave way to a shout of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".
The fighting inside the ropes matched the emotion. Arthur was floored by a significant blow directly to the chin in the early round, standing uncertainly to his position on the referee's count.
But the red-colored attire of Arthur soon advanced again. Across the ring, the opponent - in rival City blue - was injured soon, significant bruising developing under his face as the pair exchanged hard punches.
The challenger, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but the champion, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the action rarely dropped over the full distance.
The victor edged the result with judges scorecards of draw, narrow lead and clearer margin, but each competitor were persistent and brave, exactly what their inspiration the legend embodied.
