UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet disappointing start to life under fresh promotional backing with a unanimous decision 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 Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger found success, delivering effective clean blows in a contest where the styles failed to mesh, with constant grabbing spoiling the contest.
The officials scored it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the remaining official a 95-95.
"It wasn't my finest showing but how do champions respond? They succeed," the victor stated in the ring as he was met by negative reactions from the audience.
The British fighter got back to winning after his first professional defeat - an epic battle with his previous opponent in February - to claim a 20th pro success.
Several boxing experts believed Parker, 31, should have been awarded the win but the contender experienced the second setback of his 28-fight professional journey.
The Champion Secures Triumph in Slow Match
His career development has slowed in recent years through management issues and extended periods of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the rising talent of British boxing, he now is positioned trying to achieve expectations - perhaps in what appears to be a final roll of the dice - under new promotional backing.
He opened tentatively, with the two boxers prepared to overcommit in a tentative early stages.
The challenger, whose sole prior loss came at super middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after breaking his hand mid-fight, was making just his second appearance at the higher weight class.
By the fight's midpoint, Parker had made it competitive, creating difficulties for the favorite, who worked behind a protective stance to barely take the better periods.
The audience's tolerance diminished because of constant clinching, with the challenger slipping to the canvas multiple occasions during clinches.
Parker ended stronger, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. Nevertheless, ex-champion the boxing analyst - providing analysis for Dazn - had it particularly wide for Parker, giving Buatsi just a single round.
Buatsi moves on, but with the likes of power puncher Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Bivol dominating the weight class, the path to championship success - based on this performance - still looks steep.
Ricky Hatton Memorial Motivates Manchester Derby Contest
In the secondary fight, Arthur beat Bradley Rea by divided decision in a terrific local rivalry contest to capture the continental title.
The arena became quiet for a profoundly moving homage before the fight as a bell ceremony sounded in honor of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who died at age 46 in last month.
It was the premier televised match card in the city since the passing of Hatton. As the last bell disappeared, the quiet transitioned to a roar of "only one Ricky Hatton".
The fighting inside the ropes matched the feeling. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a significant blow squarely on the face in the second round, standing uncertainly to his footing on the referee's count.
But the traditional red shorts of the fighter soon advanced again. From the other corner, the opponent - in opposing blue - was marked up soon, significant bruising forming under his orbital area as the pair traded hard punches.
Rea, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, thirty-four, responded in kind with powerful upward punches as the intensity rarely dropped over 12 rounds.
Arthur edged the result with official scores of 114-114, narrow lead and 115-112, but the two athletes were relentless and full of heart, everything their idol the legend embodied.
