British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet disappointing debut to life under fresh promotional backing with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate likely gained him a majority decision in a close ten-round contest at the Manchester venue.
But the challenger landed significant shots, landing some telling single shots in a match where the approaches didn't complement each other, with frequent clinching disrupting the action.
The officials judged it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the final judge a 95-95.
"It wasn't my finest performance but how do champions respond? They succeed," Buatsi stated in the ring as he was faced disapproval from the crowd.
The British fighter bounced back after his initial pro loss - an epic battle with Callum Smith in last winter - to secure a 20th career victory.
Various analysts thought Parker, thirty-one, deserved the victory but the Derbyshire fighter experienced the second loss of his 28-fight professional journey.
The Champion Earns Triumph in Slow Match
Buatsi's progress has plateaued in the past few years through management issues and extended periods of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the future of UK boxing, he now is positioned trying to fulfil that early promise - possibly in what seems like a last chance - under recent support.
He started carefully, with the two boxers ready to be aggressive in a tentative opening few rounds.
Parker, whose only previous defeat came at super middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after damaging his hand in the contest, was competing in only his second fight at light heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, the underdog had stayed in contention, causing problems for Buatsi, who operated with a protective stance to edge the better periods.
The audience's tolerance decreased amid regular grabbing, with the challenger falling to the floor various instances during clinches.
Parker ended stronger, but multiple periods were difficult to score. However, ex-champion Carl Frampton - providing analysis for Dazn - had it particularly wide for Parker, giving Buatsi just one round.
Buatsi moves on, but with the presence of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Russian champion Bivol ruling the division, the road to world glory - on this evidence - still seems difficult.
Hatton Homage Fuels All-Manchester Fight
In the secondary fight, Arthur beat Bradley Rea by divided decision in a excellent local rivalry contest to capture the European light heavyweight belt.
The venue grew hushed for a extremely emotional memorial ahead of the contest as ten bells rang in remembrance of local hero Ricky Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in last month.
It was the first major televised match card in the location since the passing of Hatton. As the last bell disappeared, the silence gave way to a roar of "there's just one Hatton".
The fighting within the ring reflected the sentiment. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a left hook flush on the face in the early round, getting up unsteadily to his position on the count of eight.
But the red-colored attire of the fighter soon advanced again. On the opposite side, Rea - in competitive blue - was injured soon, noticeable damage forming under his orbital area as the duo landed punishing blows.
The challenger, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but Arthur, 34, fought fire with fire with powerful upward punches as the pace rarely dropped over 12 rounds.
The victor barely secured the decision with scoring tallies of draw, narrow lead and clearer margin, but each competitor were persistent and courageous, everything their hero the legend stood for.
