UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming start to his career under new promoters with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's punch output seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a close 10-round fight at the Manchester venue.
But Parker landed significant shots, delivering effective single shots in a match where the techniques failed to mesh, with excessive holding marring the contest.
The scoring judges scored it 96-94 for to the winner, with the final judge a even score.
"It wasn't my greatest performance but how do champions respond? They prevail," the victor commented in the arena as he was faced disapproval from the audience.
The British fighter bounced back after his initial pro loss - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in February - to claim a twentieth professional win.
Various analysts thought the challenger, thirty-one, merited the decision but the British boxer experienced the second loss of his 28-match career.
Buatsi Earns Victory in Uneventful Match
The fighter's advancement has slowed in the past few years through promotional disputes and long spells of lack of fights.
Earlier forecast as the rising talent of British boxing, he now is positioned trying to fulfil that early promise - perhaps in what appears to be a last chance - under fresh management.
He began cautiously, with neither fighter ready to take risks in a calculated early stages.
Parker, whose single earlier setback came at the lower weight class against John Ryder in two years ago after damaging his hand mid-fight, was making just his second bout at the higher weight class.
By the middle rounds, Parker had made it competitive, causing problems for Buatsi, who operated with a protective stance to barely take the more effective stanzas.
The audience's tolerance diminished amid constant clinching, with Parker slipping to the canvas multiple occasions during clinches.
Parker closed well, but many rounds were hard to judge. However, ex-champion Carl Frampton - commentating on Dazn - had it strongly leaning for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just one round.
Buatsi moves on, but with the presence of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the journey to titles - based on this performance - still seems difficult.
Ricky Hatton Tribute Fuels All-Manchester Fight
In the secondary fight, Arthur beat Rea by close verdict in a terrific all-Manchester battle to capture the European light heavyweight title.
The stadium fell silent for a deeply poignant tribute ahead of the contest as ten bells rang in honor of the city's native Hatton, who succumbed at age 46 in recently.
It was the premier televised boxing event in the urban center since the passing of Hatton. As the last bell faded, the stillness gave way to a roar of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The action inside the ropes equaled the feeling. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a left hook squarely on the face in the second round, standing uncertainly to his feet on the count of eight.
But the traditional red equipment of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. Across the ring, Rea - in opposing blue - was damaged soon, noticeable damage developing under his orbital area as the duo traded powerful shots.
Rea, 27, connected with strong blows but the champion, thirty-four, responded in kind with effective uppercuts as the intensity hardly diminished over twelve rounds.
Arthur edged the verdict with official scores of even score, 115-113 and wider gap, but both fighters were determined and brave, everything their idol the legend embodied.
