UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet underwhelming start to his career under new promoters with a decision win over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's punch output likely gained him a judges' verdict in a tight ten-round fight at the boxing arena.
But the challenger found success, landing some telling individual punches in a contest where the techniques didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing marring the contest.
The scoring judges scored it 96-94 for to the winner, with the third a even score.
"It wasn't my finest showing but what defines champions? They prevail," Buatsi said in the arena as he was greeted with negative reactions from the crowd.
The British fighter returned to winning ways after his initial pro loss - an epic battle with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a twentieth professional win.
Several boxing experts believed Parker, thirty-one, should have been awarded the win but the British boxer suffered the second setback of his 28-bout professional journey.
The Champion Secures Triumph in Uneventful Encounter
His career development has slowed in recent years through contract problems and long spells of lack of fights.
Earlier forecast as the future of British boxing, he now finds himself trying to realize his potential - perhaps in what appears to be a final roll of the dice - under new promotional backing.
He started carefully, with the two boxers prepared to take risks in a cagey initial rounds.
Parker, whose only previous defeat came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in two years ago after suffering a hand injury mid-fight, was participating in his second appearance at the higher weight class.
By the fight's midpoint, Parker had kept it close, making life awkward for the favorite, who operated with a protective stance to barely take the cleaner stanzas.
The spectators' acceptance diminished amid regular grabbing, with the challenger falling to the floor several times during clinches.
Parker ended stronger, but several stanzas were difficult to score. Although, former world champion the boxing analyst - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it significantly in favor for Parker, giving Buatsi just only one stanza.
The victor moves on, but with the caliber of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - on this evidence - still looks steep.
Hatton Homage Fuels Local Rivalry Contest
In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur beat Rea by close verdict in a outstanding local rivalry battle to capture the continental title.
The venue fell silent for a profoundly moving tribute before the fight as ten bells tolled in memory of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who died 46 years old in September.
It was the premier televised match card in the city since Hatton's death. As the concluding sound disappeared, the quiet transitioned to a shout of "there's only one Hatton".
The action during the bout matched the emotion. The eventual winner was knocked down by a significant blow squarely on the jaw in the early round, standing uncertainly to his footing on the referee's count.
But the traditional red attire of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. From the other corner, Rea - in competitive blue - was injured quickly, noticeable damage forming under his face as the fighters traded hard punches.
Rea, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but Arthur, thirty-four, matched the intensity with effective uppercuts as the intensity seldom decreased over the full distance.
Arthur barely secured the result with scoring tallies of 114-114, 115-113 and clearer margin, but each competitor were relentless and full of heart, exactly what their hero Hatton represented.
