UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet unimpressive beginning to life under new promoters with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's punch output seemingly secured him a majority decision in a close ten-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.
But Parker landed significant shots, landing some telling single shots in a contest where the approaches never quite clicked, with excessive holding disrupting the contest.
The scoring judges had it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the remaining official a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my best display but how do champions respond? They succeed," the victor commented in the ringside as he was faced boos from the crowd.
The Londoner returned to winning ways after his maiden career setback - an epic battle with his previous opponent in last winter - to claim a twentieth professional win.
Various analysts believed the challenger, 31, merited the win but the Derbyshire fighter endured the second defeat of his 28-match career.
The Champion Earns Victory in Dull Encounter
The fighter's advancement has stalled in the past few years through contract problems and extended periods of lack of fights.
Once tipped as the rising talent of the British fight scene, he now is positioned trying to realize his potential - perhaps in what feels like a ultimate opportunity - under fresh management.
He opened tentatively, with neither fighter ready to overcommit in a cagey early stages.
The challenger, whose single earlier setback came at super middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after breaking his hand during the bout, was participating in his second appearance at light heavyweight.
By the halfway stage, the underdog had kept it close, causing problems for the favorite, who operated with a protective stance to narrowly win the more effective rounds.
The crowd's patience wore thin because of frequent holding, with the challenger slipping to the canvas various instances during grappling.
The underdog closed well, but several stanzas were hard to judge. Nevertheless, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - commentating on the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just only one stanza.
Buatsi progresses, but with the presence of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the path to championship success - on this evidence - still seems difficult.
Ricky Hatton Memorial Inspires Manchester Derby Contest
In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by close verdict in a outstanding local rivalry battle to win the European light-heavyweight belt.
The arena grew hushed for a profoundly moving memorial ahead of the contest as ten bells rang in honor of the city's native Hatton, who died aged 46 in last month.
It was the premier televised match card in the city since Hatton's passing. As the concluding sound faded, the quiet transitioned to a shout of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The competition inside the ropes matched the feeling. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a significant blow squarely on the chin in the initial stage, standing uncertainly to his position on the referee's count.
But the Manchester United-red shorts of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. From the other corner, the opponent - in rival City blue - was injured early, noticeable damage appearing under his face as the fighters exchanged powerful shots.
The challenger, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but the champion, thirty-four, matched the intensity with powerful upward punches as the action hardly diminished over 12 rounds.
The victor barely secured the decision with official scores of 114-114, close margin and 115-112, but each competitor were persistent and full of heart, exactly what their idol Hatton embodied.
