UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet disappointing start to life under recent management with a decision win over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's activity level appeared to earn him a split decision in a tight ten-round bout at the boxing arena.
But the challenger found success, delivering effective single shots in a match where the techniques never quite clicked, with frequent clinching marring the action.
The scoring judges had it 96-94 to the winner, with the final judge a even score.
"It wasn't my greatest performance but how do champions respond? They succeed," Buatsi stated in the arena as he was met by negative reactions from the audience.
The British fighter returned to winning ways after his first professional defeat - an memorable fight with his previous opponent in February - to earn a 20th pro success.
Various analysts believed Parker, thirty-one, deserved the decision but the Derbyshire fighter suffered the second defeat of his 28-bout career.
The Champion Earns Triumph in Dull Affair
Buatsi's progress has plateaued in the past few years through management issues and long spells of lack of fights.
Earlier forecast as the rising talent of UK boxing, he now finds himself trying to fulfil that early promise - perhaps in what appears to be a ultimate opportunity - under fresh management.
He opened tentatively, with the two boxers willing to overcommit in a tentative initial rounds.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in two years ago after suffering a hand injury in the contest, was participating in his second fight at the higher weight class.
By the halfway stage, Parker had made it competitive, making life awkward for Buatsi, who worked behind a tight guard to barely take the cleaner rounds.
The audience's tolerance decreased because of frequent holding, with Parker going down several times during clinches.
Parker closed well, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. However, former world champion Carl Frampton - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it significantly in favor for the challenger, giving Buatsi just only one stanza.
The victor advances, but with the caliber of hard hitter Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the road to world glory - judging by this showing - still appears challenging.
Ricky Hatton Memorial Inspires Local Rivalry Fight
In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur beat Bradley Rea by close verdict in a outstanding all-Manchester fight to capture the European light-heavyweight title.
The arena became quiet for a deeply poignant memorial before the fight as a bell ceremony sounded in honor of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who died aged 46 in last month.
It was the premier televised match card in the urban center since Hatton's death. As the final chime disappeared, the quiet gave way to a roar of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".
The competition inside the ropes reflected the feeling. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a significant blow directly to the jaw in the second round, rising shakily to his feet on the eight count.
But the traditional red equipment of the fighter soon advanced again. Across the ring, the opponent - in competitive blue - was damaged soon, noticeable damage developing under his orbital area as the fighters traded punishing blows.
The challenger, 27, connected with strong blows but Arthur, 34, fought fire with fire with stinging uppercuts as the pace hardly diminished over the full distance.
The victor narrowly won the verdict with official scores of draw, close margin and wider gap, but each competitor were relentless and courageous, everything their idol Hatton embodied.
