UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet underwhelming start to life under new promoters with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's activity level likely gained him a judges' verdict in a close 10-round bout at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger landed significant shots, connecting with powerful individual punches in a contest where the styles didn't complement each other, with frequent clinching marring the fight.
The scoring judges scored it 96-94 to the winner, with the third a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my greatest performance but what do champions do? They win," Buatsi commented in the ring as he was greeted with disapproval from the crowd.
The Londoner got back to winning after his first professional defeat - an epic battle with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a twentieth professional win.
Some ringside observers felt Parker, 31, should have been awarded the decision but the Derbyshire fighter endured the second loss of his 28-fight career.
Buatsi Secures Victory in Slow Match
The fighter's advancement has stalled in recent times through promotional disputes and considerable time of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the next star of British boxing, he now finds himself trying to fulfil that early promise - perhaps in what feels like a final roll of the dice - under recent support.
He opened tentatively, with both competitors prepared to take risks in a tentative early stages.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in two years ago after damaging his hand during the bout, was making just his second bout at the higher weight class.
By the halfway stage, the underdog had kept it close, making life awkward for the favorite, who operated with a tight guard to barely take the better periods.
The crowd's patience decreased during frequent holding, with the challenger slipping to the canvas several times during grappling.
Parker closed well, but many rounds were difficult to score. However, ex-champion Carl Frampton - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for Parker, giving Buatsi just only one stanza.
The victor advances, but with the presence of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the road to world glory - on this evidence - still seems difficult.
Hatton Tribute Inspires All-Manchester Contest
In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur beat Bradley Rea by divided decision in a outstanding Manchester vs Manchester fight to win the continental title.
The stadium fell silent for a extremely emotional homage ahead of the contest as ten bells sounded in memory of the city's native Hatton, who passed away at age 46 in recently.
It was the premier televised boxing event in the location since Hatton's death. As the final chime faded, the stillness transitioned to a shout of "only one Hatton".
The fighting inside the ropes matched the feeling. Arthur was knocked down by a powerful punch squarely on the face in the early round, getting up unsteadily to his feet on the count of eight.
But the Manchester United-red shorts of Arthur soon advanced again. From the other corner, the opponent - in rival City blue - was marked up early, noticeable damage forming under his orbital area as the duo landed punishing blows.
Rea, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but Arthur, 34, responded in kind with powerful upward punches as the intensity rarely dropped over twelve rounds.
Arthur narrowly won the verdict with scoring tallies of even score, 115-113 and wider gap, but both fighters were persistent and full of heart, all the qualities their hero Hatton stood for.
