UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet disappointing start to his career under fresh promotional backing with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level appeared to earn him a judges' verdict in a close ten-round fight at the boxing arena.
But Parker found success, landing some telling single shots in a contest where the techniques never quite clicked, with constant grabbing marring the action.
Two judges had it 96-94 for to the winner, with the final judge a 95-95.
"It wasn't my best performance but what do champions do? They succeed," Buatsi commented in the arena as he was faced negative reactions from the crowd.
The British fighter returned to winning ways after his maiden career setback - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a 20th career victory.
Some ringside observers felt the challenger, thirty-one, should have been awarded the victory but the British boxer experienced the second defeat of his 28-bout career.
The Champion Earns Victory in Slow Encounter
Buatsi's progress has plateaued in recent years through contract problems and extended periods of lack of fights.
Earlier forecast as the rising talent of UK boxing, he now stands trying to realize his potential - maybe in what appears to be a final roll of the dice - under fresh management.
He opened tentatively, with neither fighter willing to overcommit in a tentative early stages.
Parker, whose single earlier setback came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in two years ago after damaging his hand during the bout, was making just his second appearance at light-heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, Parker had kept it close, making life awkward for Buatsi, who worked behind a tight guard to narrowly win the cleaner rounds.
The crowd's patience diminished amid constant clinching, with Parker slipping to the canvas various instances during grappling.
Parker ended stronger, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. Nevertheless, former world champion the boxing analyst - working with Dazn - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just only one stanza.
The victor advances, but with the caliber of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the road to world glory - judging by this showing - still appears challenging.
Ricky Hatton Tribute Fuels Manchester Derby Contest
In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by split-decision in a terrific Manchester vs Manchester fight to win the continental championship.
The arena became quiet for a profoundly moving tribute ahead of the contest as ten bells tolled in remembrance of the city's native Ricky Hatton, who died 46 years old in last month.
It was the first major televised match card in the city since Hatton's passing. As the final chime disappeared, the quiet transitioned to a shout of "there's only one Hatton".
The action within the ring reflected the emotion. The eventual winner was floored by a significant blow directly to the chin in the initial stage, standing uncertainly to his feet on the count of eight.
But the red-colored shorts of the fighter soon advanced again. Across the ring, Rea - in competitive blue - was marked up soon, noticeable damage appearing under his orbital area as the fighters traded powerful shots.
The challenger, 27, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the pace seldom decreased over the full distance.
Arthur barely secured the verdict with scoring tallies of 114-114, close margin and clearer margin, but the two athletes were determined and courageous, everything their idol Hatton represented.
