British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet disappointing start to life under new promoters with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic bronze medallist's punch output appeared to earn him a majority decision in a competitive ten-round contest at the Manchester venue.
But Parker had his moments, delivering effective individual punches in a contest where the approaches failed to mesh, with constant grabbing marring the contest.
Two judges scored it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the third a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my finest showing but how do champions respond? They win," Buatsi said in the ringside as he was greeted with negative reactions from the spectators.
The British fighter got back to winning after his maiden career setback - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in last winter - to earn a twentieth professional win.
Various analysts thought Parker, 31, deserved the win but the Derbyshire fighter experienced the second setback of his 28-fight career.
Buatsi Claims Win in Dull Affair
Buatsi's progress has stalled in recent times through promotional disputes and considerable time of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the next star of British boxing, he now stands trying to achieve expectations - maybe in what seems like a final roll of the dice - under fresh management.
He began cautiously, with the two boxers willing to be aggressive in a calculated initial rounds.
The challenger, whose single earlier setback came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in two years ago after breaking his hand during the bout, was competing in only his second bout at light heavyweight.
By the halfway stage, the underdog had kept it close, causing problems for the favorite, who worked behind a protective stance to narrowly win the cleaner periods.
The crowd's patience decreased amid frequent holding, with Parker going down several times during clinches.
Parker finished the stronger, but several stanzas were hard to judge. Nevertheless, ex-champion Carl Frampton - working with the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for Parker, giving Buatsi just one round.
Buatsi progresses, but with the caliber of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - based on this performance - still looks steep.
Hatton Memorial Fuels Local Rivalry Contest
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur defeated Rea by close verdict in a outstanding all-Manchester battle to capture the European light-heavyweight title.
The arena grew hushed for a deeply poignant tribute before the fight as 10 bells rang in remembrance of local hero Hatton, who died 46 years old in last month.
It was the initial significant broadcast match card in the urban center since Hatton's death. As the final chime ended, the quiet transitioned to a roar of "only one Ricky Hatton".
The action inside the ropes equaled the sentiment. The eventual winner was floored by a powerful punch squarely on the jaw in the initial stage, rising shakily to his footing on the eight count.
But the Manchester United-red shorts of Arthur soon came forward again. Across the ring, Rea - in competitive blue - was marked up quickly, heavy swelling developing under his eye as the fighters traded punishing blows.
The challenger, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but Arthur, thirty-four, matched the intensity with effective uppercuts as the intensity rarely dropped over the full distance.
The victor edged the result with judges scorecards of even score, narrow lead and clearer margin, but the two athletes were determined and full of heart, everything their idol Hatton represented.
