UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet underwhelming debut to life under recent management with a decision win over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a close 10-round fight at the Co-op Live Arena.
But Parker had his moments, delivering effective clean blows in a match where the techniques didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing spoiling the fight.
The scoring judges had it 96-94 to the winner, with the final judge a 95-95.
"It wasn't my best display but how do champions respond? They win," Buatsi said in the arena as he was faced disapproval from the crowd.
The Londoner got back to winning after his initial pro loss - an epic battle with Callum Smith in last winter - to claim a 20th pro success.
Some ringside observers believed the challenger, thirty-one, should have been awarded the decision but the Derbyshire fighter experienced the second setback of his 28-match professional journey.
The Champion Secures Victory in Uneventful Affair
The fighter's advancement has stalled in the past few years through promotional disputes and extended periods of inactivity.
Once tipped as the future of the British fight scene, he now finds himself trying to realize his potential - possibly in what appears to be a last chance - under new promotional backing.
He started carefully, with the two boxers prepared to be aggressive in a calculated early stages.
The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in two years ago after damaging his hand mid-fight, was competing in only his second appearance at light-heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, Parker had made it competitive, creating difficulties for the favorite, who utilized a tight guard to barely take the more effective rounds.
The crowd's patience wore thin during constant clinching, with Parker going down several times during grappling.
The underdog finished the stronger, but several stanzas were hard to judge. However, ex-champion the boxing analyst - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, awarding Buatsi just a single round.
The victor advances, but with the caliber of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian champion Bivol leading the category, the path to championship success - judging by this showing - still seems difficult.
Ricky Hatton Memorial Motivates Local Rivalry Fight
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur overcame Rea by divided decision in a excellent all-Manchester battle to secure the European light-heavyweight championship.
The stadium grew hushed for a profoundly moving homage ahead of the contest as 10 bells rang in memory of the city's native Ricky Hatton, who died aged 46 in recently.
It was the premier televised fight night in the city since the passing of Hatton. As the final chime ended, the quiet became a chant of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".
The fighting inside the ropes reflected the sentiment. The eventual winner was floored by a significant blow directly to the face in the early round, getting up unsteadily to his position on the referee's count.
But the red-colored equipment of Arthur soon came forward again. Across the ring, Rea - in rival City blue - was marked up soon, significant bruising forming under his orbital area as the duo landed hard punches.
The challenger, 27, delivered effective strikes but the champion, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the pace seldom decreased over the full distance.
The victor barely secured the verdict with scoring tallies of even score, close margin and wider gap, but both fighters were relentless and courageous, all the qualities their inspiration the legend embodied.
