UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming start to his career under fresh promotional backing with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's punch output likely gained him a judges' verdict in a close 10-round fight at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger had his moments, landing some telling individual punches in a contest where the techniques didn't complement each other, with excessive holding marring the contest.
Two judges judged it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the final judge a 95-95.
"It wasn't my greatest display but what defines champions? They win," the victor said in the ring as he was greeted with negative reactions from the crowd.
The British fighter bounced back after his first professional defeat - an memorable fight with his previous opponent in last winter - to claim a 20th pro success.
Various analysts felt Parker, thirty-one, merited the victory but the Derbyshire fighter suffered the second defeat of his 28-fight career.
Buatsi Claims Victory in Slow Encounter
Buatsi's progress has slowed in the past few years through promotional disputes and extended periods of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the rising talent of UK boxing, he now is positioned trying to realize his potential - maybe in what seems like a final roll of the dice - under fresh management.
He began cautiously, with the two boxers willing to overcommit in a tentative early stages.
The challenger, whose single earlier setback came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in two years ago after damaging his hand mid-fight, was making just his second bout at light heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, Parker had made it competitive, causing problems for Buatsi, who utilized a tight guard to edge the cleaner stanzas.
The crowd's patience decreased because of constant clinching, with Parker going down multiple occasions during close exchanges.
The underdog finished the stronger, but many rounds were difficult to score. However, former world champion Carl Frampton - working with the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for the challenger, awarding Buatsi just a single round.
Buatsi moves on, but with the caliber of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian champion Bivol leading the category, the road to world glory - on this evidence - still seems difficult.
Ricky Hatton Memorial Fuels Local Rivalry Battle
In the secondary fight, Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by split-decision in a terrific all-Manchester battle to secure the European light heavyweight belt.
The stadium grew hushed for a deeply poignant tribute before the fight as 10 bells rang in remembrance of local hero Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in September.
It was the first major televised boxing event in the location since Hatton's death. As the final chime faded, the silence became a roar of "there's only one Hatton".
The competition during the bout equaled the emotion. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a significant blow squarely on the jaw in the initial stage, rising shakily to his footing on the count of eight.
But the red-colored equipment of Arthur soon advanced again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in opposing blue - was injured early, heavy swelling developing under his face as the fighters exchanged powerful shots.
The challenger, 27, delivered effective strikes but the champion, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with stinging uppercuts as the intensity seldom decreased over the full distance.
Arthur edged the decision with judges scorecards of 114-114, 115-113 and wider gap, but each competitor were persistent and courageous, everything their hero Hatton represented.
