UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet underwhelming debut to life under new promoters with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's work rate seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a competitive 10-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.
But Parker had his moments, connecting with powerful single shots in a contest where the styles failed to mesh, with excessive holding marring the fight.
The officials scored it 96-94 for to the winner, with the third a 95-95.
"It wasn't my greatest showing but how do champions respond? They succeed," the victor commented in the ringside as he was met by negative reactions from the audience.
The British fighter bounced back after his first professional defeat - an epic battle with Callum Smith in last winter - to claim a 20th career victory.
Several boxing experts felt the challenger, thirty-one, merited the decision but the contender endured the second loss of his 28-fight professional journey.
Buatsi Claims Victory in Dull Affair
The fighter's advancement has stalled in recent times through promotional disputes and considerable time of lack of fights.
Previously predicted as the future of the British fight scene, he now finds himself trying to realize his potential - possibly in what seems like a final roll of the dice - under fresh management.
He opened tentatively, with neither fighter ready to be aggressive in a tentative initial rounds.
The challenger, whose sole prior loss came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after suffering a hand injury mid-fight, was competing in only his second fight at light-heavyweight.
By the halfway stage, Parker had kept it close, making life awkward for the favorite, who worked behind a tight guard to narrowly win the better rounds.
The audience's tolerance wore thin during regular grabbing, with Parker slipping to the canvas various instances during clinches.
Parker ended stronger, but multiple periods were hard to judge. However, previous titleholder Carl Frampton - working with Dazn - had it particularly wide for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just one round.
Buatsi advances, but with the presence of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Russian champion Bivol leading the category, the road to world glory - based on this performance - still looks steep.
Ricky Hatton Tribute Fuels Local Rivalry Contest
In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur beat Bradley Rea by divided decision in a terrific all-Manchester contest to win the continental championship.
The arena fell silent for a extremely emotional tribute prior to the bout as 10 bells tolled in memory of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who died 46 years old in last month.
It was the premier televised match card in the city since the passing of Hatton. As the concluding sound faded, the quiet gave way to a shout of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".
The competition within the ring equaled the emotion. The eventual winner was knocked down by a left hook flush on the face in the initial stage, rising shakily to his feet on the count of eight.
But the Manchester United-red equipment of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. Across the ring, Rea - in competitive blue - was marked up quickly, heavy swelling appearing under his eye as the duo landed powerful shots.
The challenger, 27, delivered effective strikes but the champion, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with powerful upward punches as the pace rarely dropped over 12 rounds.
The victor barely secured the result with official scores of even score, 115-113 and wider gap, but each competitor were persistent and courageous, everything their inspiration the legend stood for.
