British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet disappointing start to life under recent management with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate likely gained him a split decision in a tight 10-round contest at the Manchester venue.
But the challenger found success, connecting with powerful individual punches in a match where the styles didn't complement each other, with frequent clinching disrupting the action.
Two judges judged it 96-94 to the winner, with the third a even score.
"It wasn't my greatest display but what defines champions? They win," the victor commented in the arena as he was faced boos from the spectators.
The Londoner returned to winning ways after his initial pro loss - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in last winter - to earn a 20th pro success.
Several boxing experts thought the challenger, 31, deserved the win but the British boxer endured the second defeat of his 28-match professional journey.
Buatsi Claims Win in Slow Affair
His career development has plateaued in the past few years through contract problems and long spells of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the future of the British fight scene, he now stands trying to achieve expectations - possibly in what appears to be a final roll of the dice - under recent support.
He opened tentatively, with neither fighter willing to overcommit in a tentative early stages.
Parker, whose only previous defeat came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in two years ago after suffering a hand injury in the contest, was competing in only his second appearance at the higher weight class.
By the middle rounds, Parker had made it competitive, creating difficulties for Buatsi, who worked behind a solid defense to barely take the cleaner rounds.
The crowd's patience diminished amid regular grabbing, with the challenger slipping to the canvas several times during grappling.
Parker ended stronger, but many rounds were challenging to assess. Although, former world champion Carl Frampton - commentating on Dazn - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, giving Buatsi just one round.
The victor progresses, but with the likes of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - on this evidence - still looks steep.
Hatton Memorial Motivates Local Rivalry Battle
In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur defeated Rea by divided decision in a excellent Manchester vs Manchester battle to capture the European light-heavyweight championship.
The stadium grew hushed for a profoundly moving memorial prior to the bout as 10 bells tolled in memory of local hero Ricky Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in September.
It was the initial significant broadcast match card in the city since Hatton's passing. As the last bell faded, the stillness transitioned to a roar of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".
The competition during the bout matched the feeling. The eventual winner was floored by a significant blow flush on the face in the second round, getting up unsteadily to his position on the count of eight.
But the red-colored shorts of the fighter soon came forward again. Across the ring, Rea - in competitive blue - was marked up early, significant bruising developing under his face as the fighters landed powerful shots.
The challenger, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but Arthur, 34, fought fire with fire with stinging uppercuts as the action hardly diminished over twelve rounds.
The victor narrowly won the decision with scoring tallies of even score, narrow lead and clearer margin, but each competitor were determined and brave, all the qualities their idol Hatton embodied.
