British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming beginning to his career under fresh promotional backing with a decision win over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate likely gained him a judges' verdict in a tight 10-round bout at the Co-op Live Arena.
But Parker had his moments, landing some telling individual punches in a match where the techniques never quite clicked, with constant grabbing marring the action.
Two judges had it 96-94 to the winner, with the final judge a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my finest performance but what do champions do? They prevail," the victor said in the arena as he was faced boos from the crowd.
The British fighter bounced back after his initial pro loss - an epic battle with his previous opponent in last winter - to earn a 20th pro success.
Various analysts felt the challenger, 31, merited the victory but the British boxer suffered the second loss of his 28-bout career.
The Champion Earns Triumph in Uneventful Encounter
The fighter's advancement has stalled in recent years through management issues and long spells of lack of fights.
Earlier forecast as the future of the British fight scene, he now stands trying to fulfil that early promise - possibly in what feels like a last chance - under new promotional backing.
He opened tentatively, with neither fighter willing to be aggressive in a tentative opening few rounds.
Parker, whose single earlier setback came at the lower weight class against John Ryder in two years ago after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was participating in his second bout at the higher weight class.
By the middle rounds, the underdog had made it competitive, creating difficulties for the favorite, who operated with a tight guard to narrowly win the better periods.
The audience's tolerance diminished amid constant clinching, with the challenger going down several times during grappling.
The underdog closed well, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. Although, ex-champion the boxing analyst - commentating on the broadcast network - had it significantly in favor for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just only one stanza.
Buatsi progresses, but with the presence of power puncher Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol ruling the division, the road to world glory - on this evidence - still looks steep.
Hatton Tribute Inspires All-Manchester Contest
In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by split-decision in a excellent local rivalry contest to capture the European light-heavyweight belt.
The venue grew hushed for a deeply poignant tribute prior to the bout as ten bells rang in memory of local hero Ricky Hatton, who succumbed aged 46 in recently.
It was the initial significant broadcast match card in the location since Hatton's passing. As the concluding sound ended, the silence gave way to a roar of "only one Hatton".
The action within the ring matched the emotion. Arthur was knocked down by a powerful punch flush on the face in the initial stage, getting up unsteadily to his footing on the referee's count.
But the Manchester United-red shorts of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, Rea - in opposing blue - was marked up early, significant bruising forming under his eye as the fighters traded hard punches.
Rea, 27, landed power punches but Arthur, 34, fought fire with fire with powerful upward punches as the intensity hardly diminished over 12 rounds.
Arthur edged the result with judges scorecards of even score, close margin and wider gap, but both fighters were persistent and brave, exactly what their hero the legend represented.
