UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet underwhelming debut to life under fresh promotional backing with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's punch output seemingly secured him a split decision in a close 10-round fight at the boxing arena.
But the challenger found success, landing some telling single shots in a contest where the techniques didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing marring the fight.
The officials judged it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the third a even score.
"It wasn't my best showing but how do champions respond? They prevail," the victor said in the ring as he was faced negative reactions from the crowd.
The British fighter bounced back after his maiden career setback - an epic battle with his previous opponent in last winter - to secure a twentieth professional win.
Some ringside observers thought the challenger, thirty-one, merited the decision but the Derbyshire fighter endured the second defeat of his 28-bout career.
Buatsi Earns Victory in Slow Encounter
His career development has plateaued in the past few years through management issues and long spells of inactivity.
Once tipped as the future of British boxing, he now is positioned trying to fulfil that early promise - possibly in what appears to be a ultimate opportunity - under new promotional backing.
He opened tentatively, with both competitors prepared to take risks in a cagey opening few rounds.
Parker, whose single earlier setback came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in 2022 after suffering a hand injury mid-fight, was competing in only his second fight at the higher weight class.
By the middle rounds, the underdog had made it competitive, making life awkward for Buatsi, who operated with a protective stance to edge the cleaner periods.
The spectators' acceptance diminished amid frequent holding, with the challenger slipping to the canvas several times during close exchanges.
The underdog finished the stronger, but multiple periods were hard to judge. Nevertheless, ex-champion Carl Frampton - commentating on the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just only one stanza.
The victor moves on, but with the presence of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the journey to titles - based on this performance - still seems difficult.
Ricky Hatton Tribute Motivates All-Manchester Battle
In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur beat Bradley Rea by close verdict in a excellent local rivalry fight to secure the European light heavyweight belt.
The arena grew hushed for a profoundly moving tribute prior to the bout as 10 bells tolled in honor of Manchester's own Hatton, who passed away 46 years old in September.
It was the premier televised match card in the location since the passing of Hatton. As the last bell ended, the stillness gave way to a roar of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The fighting within the ring matched the feeling. The eventual winner was knocked down by a significant blow directly to the chin in the second round, rising shakily to his feet on the eight count.
But the traditional red shorts of the fighter soon came forward again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in competitive blue - was damaged early, noticeable damage forming under his orbital area as the pair traded powerful shots.
The challenger, 27, connected with strong blows but Arthur, 34, matched the intensity with effective uppercuts as the pace rarely dropped over the full distance.
The victor barely secured the decision with official scores of draw, narrow lead and 115-112, but each competitor were persistent and brave, everything their hero the legend represented.
