UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming debut to his career 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 competitive ten-round bout at the boxing arena.
But the challenger landed significant shots, landing some telling individual punches in a fight where the techniques failed to mesh, with excessive holding disrupting the contest.
Two judges scored it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the third a even score.
"It wasn't my finest performance but how do champions respond? They succeed," the victor said in the ring as he was greeted with boos from the spectators.
The Londoner bounced back after his maiden career setback - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in last winter - to claim a twentieth professional win.
Various analysts felt Parker, 31, should have been awarded the win but the British boxer experienced the second setback of his 28-bout professional journey.
The Champion Earns Triumph in Slow Affair
The fighter's advancement has slowed in recent years through management issues and long spells of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the future of the British fight scene, he now finds himself trying to fulfil that early promise - possibly in what feels like a ultimate opportunity - under fresh management.
He started carefully, with neither fighter ready to take risks in a calculated opening few rounds.
Parker, whose sole prior loss 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 middle rounds, Parker had kept it close, causing problems for Buatsi, who worked behind a tight guard to barely take the more effective rounds.
The audience's tolerance decreased during frequent holding, with Parker slipping to the canvas various instances during grappling.
Parker closed well, but multiple periods were challenging to assess. Although, previous titleholder Carl Frampton - providing analysis for Dazn - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, awarding Buatsi just one round.
Buatsi advances, but with the presence of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the journey to titles - on this evidence - still seems difficult.
Ricky Hatton Homage Inspires Manchester Derby Battle
In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur beat Bradley Rea by close verdict in a terrific local rivalry fight to win the European light-heavyweight championship.
The stadium grew hushed for a profoundly moving memorial ahead of the contest as 10 bells sounded in remembrance of local hero Hatton, who died at age 46 in September.
It was the first major televised fight night in the city since Hatton's passing. As the concluding sound disappeared, the stillness gave way to a shout of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The fighting inside the ropes equaled the feeling. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a left hook directly to the chin in the second round, rising shakily to his position on the eight count.
But the Manchester United-red attire of the fighter soon advanced again. Across the ring, Rea - in rival City blue - was marked up quickly, heavy swelling forming under his face as the duo exchanged powerful shots.
Rea, 27, landed power punches but the champion, 34, matched the intensity with powerful upward punches as the pace seldom decreased over twelve rounds.
The victor narrowly won the result with official scores of even score, narrow lead and wider gap, but each competitor were relentless and full of heart, everything their idol Hatton represented.
