UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet disappointing beginning to life under new promoters with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a tight ten-round fight at the Manchester venue.
But the challenger had his moments, connecting with powerful single shots in a match where the techniques didn't complement each other, with excessive holding disrupting the fight.
The scoring judges judged it 96-94 for to the winner, with the final judge a even score.
"It wasn't my greatest showing but what defines champions? They win," Buatsi commented in the ring as he was faced negative reactions from the crowd.
The Londoner returned to winning ways after his maiden career setback - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in last winter - to claim a 20th pro success.
Some ringside observers believed Parker, 31, deserved the victory but the British boxer suffered the second setback of his 28-bout career.
The Champion Earns Victory in Uneventful Match
The fighter's advancement has plateaued in recent times through contract problems and long spells of inactivity.
Once tipped as the future of British boxing, he now finds himself trying to achieve expectations - possibly in what appears to be a final roll of the dice - under fresh management.
He opened tentatively, with neither fighter willing to be aggressive in a cagey early stages.
The challenger, whose single earlier setback came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after breaking his hand during the bout, was making just his second appearance at light-heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had made it competitive, creating difficulties for the favorite, who operated with a tight guard to barely take the cleaner rounds.
The audience's tolerance decreased during regular grabbing, with Parker slipping to the canvas various instances during clinches.
The underdog finished the stronger, but many rounds were challenging to assess. However, previous titleholder Carl Frampton - providing analysis for Dazn - had it particularly wide for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just only one stanza.
Buatsi advances, but with the caliber of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - judging by this showing - still seems difficult.
Hatton Homage Fuels Local Rivalry Fight
In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by split-decision in a terrific Manchester vs Manchester contest to capture the continental belt.
The arena fell silent for a profoundly moving homage prior to the bout as a bell ceremony tolled in remembrance of local hero Ricky Hatton, who passed away 46 years old in last month.
It was the initial significant broadcast boxing event in the city since the passing of Hatton. As the last bell ended, the quiet transitioned to a roar of "there's just one Hatton".
The action during the bout equaled the sentiment. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a left hook squarely on the chin in the second round, getting up unsteadily to his feet on the referee's count.
But the red-colored attire of Arthur soon came forward again. On the opposite side, Rea - in competitive blue - was injured quickly, heavy swelling forming under his eye as the duo landed powerful shots.
The challenger, 27, connected with strong blows but the champion, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with stinging uppercuts as the intensity rarely dropped over the full distance.
Arthur barely secured the decision with judges scorecards of draw, 115-113 and wider gap, but the two athletes were persistent and brave, everything their hero Hatton represented.
