British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet underwhelming beginning to his career under new promoters with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level likely gained him a judges' verdict in a tight ten-round bout at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger had his moments, delivering effective individual punches in a fight where the techniques didn't complement each other, with frequent clinching spoiling the fight.
The scoring judges scored it 96-94 in favor to the winner, with the final judge a even score.
"It wasn't my finest showing but how do champions respond? They win," Buatsi stated in the arena as he was faced disapproval from the spectators.
The Londoner returned to winning ways after his maiden career setback - an epic battle with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a twentieth professional win.
Some ringside observers thought the challenger, thirty-one, deserved the victory but the British boxer endured the second defeat of his 28-fight career.
Buatsi Secures Victory in Uneventful Match
Buatsi's progress has stalled in the past few years through promotional disputes and considerable time of lack of fights.
Previously predicted as the future of UK boxing, he now is positioned trying to achieve expectations - maybe in what seems like a final roll of the dice - under recent support.
He began cautiously, with both competitors willing to be aggressive in a tentative opening few rounds.
The challenger, whose sole prior loss came at super middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after suffering a hand injury in the contest, was participating in his second fight at the higher weight class.
By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had kept it close, creating difficulties for the favorite, who utilized a protective stance to narrowly win the more effective periods.
The crowd's patience wore thin because of regular grabbing, with Parker going down multiple occasions during grappling.
Parker finished the stronger, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. However, former world champion Carl Frampton - providing analysis for Dazn - had it strongly leaning for Parker, giving Buatsi just a single round.
Buatsi moves on, but with the caliber of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the path to championship success - based on this performance - still appears challenging.
Hatton Tribute Fuels All-Manchester Fight
In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur beat Rea by close verdict in a excellent Manchester vs Manchester contest to win the continental championship.
The stadium fell silent for a deeply poignant tribute ahead of the contest as a bell ceremony tolled in honor of the city's native Ricky Hatton, who died 46 years old in last month.
It was the initial significant broadcast fight night in the location since the passing of Hatton. As the last bell faded, the stillness became a shout of "only one Ricky Hatton".
The fighting within the ring reflected the sentiment. Arthur was floored by a powerful punch flush on the face in the initial stage, getting up unsteadily to his position on the count of eight.
But the traditional red attire of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. From the other corner, Rea - in competitive blue - was damaged early, heavy swelling forming under his face as the fighters landed punishing blows.
The challenger, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but the champion, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the action seldom decreased over 12 rounds.
The victor edged the decision with official scores of draw, close margin and 115-112, but the two athletes were persistent and full of heart, all the qualities their hero Hatton embodied.
