UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet disappointing beginning to life under fresh promotional backing with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's punch output seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a tight 10-round fight at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger had his moments, connecting with powerful individual punches in a fight where the approaches never quite clicked, with frequent clinching spoiling the fight.
The officials scored it 96-94 for to the winner, with the final judge a 95-95.
"It wasn't my finest display but how do champions respond? They prevail," the victor commented in the arena as he was greeted with boos from the audience.
The British fighter bounced back after his initial pro loss - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in last winter - to earn a twentieth professional win.
Various analysts felt Parker, 31, should have been awarded the victory but the Derbyshire fighter endured the second loss of his 28-match career.
Buatsi Claims Victory in Uneventful Affair
His career development has slowed in recent years through management issues and considerable time of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the future of the British fight scene, he now is positioned trying to achieve expectations - perhaps in what seems like a ultimate opportunity - under fresh management.
He opened tentatively, with neither fighter ready to be aggressive in a calculated initial rounds.
Parker, whose only previous defeat came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in two years ago after damaging his hand in the contest, was participating in his second appearance at light heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had made it competitive, causing problems for the favorite, who utilized a solid defense to narrowly win the more effective rounds.
The crowd's patience wore thin during frequent holding, with Parker slipping to the canvas several times during close exchanges.
Parker ended stronger, but several stanzas were hard to judge. Although, previous titleholder Carl Frampton - commentating on the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for Parker, awarding Buatsi just one round.
Buatsi progresses, but with the presence of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Bivol dominating the weight class, the path to championship success - on this evidence - still seems difficult.
Hatton Homage Fuels All-Manchester Battle
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur beat Bradley Rea by divided decision in a excellent all-Manchester fight to capture the European light heavyweight belt.
The arena grew hushed for a extremely emotional tribute prior to the bout as 10 bells sounded in remembrance of local hero Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in recently.
It was the premier televised match card in the location since Hatton's death. As the concluding sound disappeared, the stillness gave way to a chant of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".
The fighting within the ring equaled the sentiment. Arthur was knocked down by a left hook squarely on the face in the early round, standing uncertainly to his feet on the referee's count.
But the traditional red shorts of Arthur soon advanced again. Across the ring, Rea - in competitive blue - was marked up soon, heavy swelling forming under his face as the fighters traded punishing blows.
The challenger, 27, connected with strong blows but the champion, thirty-four, matched the intensity with powerful upward punches as the action hardly diminished over the full distance.
Arthur narrowly won the verdict with judges scorecards of draw, narrow lead and wider gap, but each competitor were determined and full of heart, all the qualities their hero Hatton embodied.
