UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet unimpressive start to life under fresh promotional backing with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's activity level appeared to earn him a majority decision in a competitive 10-round fight at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger had his moments, landing some telling single shots in a contest where the techniques failed to mesh, with constant grabbing spoiling the action.
Two judges scored it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the final judge a 95-95.
"It wasn't my best performance but what do champions do? They prevail," the victor stated in the arena as he was met by disapproval from the spectators.
The Londoner got back to winning after his initial pro loss - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in last winter - to secure a 20th pro success.
Various analysts felt Parker, thirty-one, merited the victory but the British boxer experienced the second defeat of his 28-fight career.
Buatsi Secures Triumph in Uneventful Encounter
The fighter's advancement has plateaued in recent times through contract problems and long spells of inactivity.
Once tipped as the future of the British fight scene, he now is positioned trying to fulfil that early promise - perhaps in what seems like a ultimate opportunity - under new promotional backing.
He opened tentatively, with both competitors willing to be aggressive in a calculated early stages.
Parker, whose only previous defeat came at super middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after damaging his hand in the contest, was participating in his second bout at light heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, Parker had stayed in contention, making life awkward for the favorite, who worked behind a tight guard to edge the more effective rounds.
The crowd's patience wore thin amid regular grabbing, with Parker slipping to the canvas several times during grappling.
Parker ended stronger, but multiple periods were hard to judge. Nevertheless, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - commentating on the broadcast network - had it significantly in favor for Parker, giving Buatsi just a single round.
Buatsi moves on, but with the presence of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the road to world glory - based on this performance - still seems difficult.
Hatton Homage Motivates Manchester Derby Fight
In the secondary fight, Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by close verdict in a excellent Manchester vs Manchester fight to capture the continental belt.
The stadium grew hushed for a deeply poignant memorial ahead of the contest as a bell ceremony rang in memory of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who succumbed 46 years old in recently.
It was the initial significant broadcast fight night in the location since Hatton's death. As the final chime disappeared, the silence became a chant of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The competition inside the ropes matched the sentiment. The eventual winner was knocked down by a left hook directly to the jaw in the initial stage, rising shakily to his footing on the count of eight.
But the red-colored attire of Arthur soon came forward again. Across the ring, the opponent - in opposing blue - was injured quickly, heavy swelling forming under his orbital area as the pair exchanged hard punches.
Rea, 27, landed power punches but the champion, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with stinging uppercuts as the action seldom decreased over twelve rounds.
The victor edged the verdict with scoring tallies of 114-114, narrow lead and wider gap, but both fighters were determined and courageous, all the qualities their idol the legend embodied.
