UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet disappointing start to life under new promoters with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's punch output appeared to earn him a judges' verdict in a tight 10-round fight at the Manchester venue.
But the challenger found success, landing some telling single shots in a contest where the approaches never quite clicked, with excessive holding spoiling the action.
The officials scored it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the final judge a 95-95.
"It wasn't my best performance but what do champions do? They succeed," Buatsi commented in the ringside as he was greeted with boos from the audience.
The Londoner returned to winning ways after his maiden career setback - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in February - to earn a 20th career victory.
Some ringside observers felt Parker, 31, merited the victory but the British boxer suffered the second setback of his 28-bout career.
Buatsi Claims Win in Dull Encounter
Buatsi's progress has slowed in the past few years through management issues and considerable time of inactivity.
Previously predicted as the next star of UK boxing, he now finds himself trying to achieve expectations - maybe in what seems like a ultimate opportunity - under recent support.
He started carefully, with both competitors prepared to overcommit in a tentative initial rounds.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after damaging his hand during the bout, was making just his second appearance at light-heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had kept it close, creating difficulties for Buatsi, who utilized a solid defense to edge the more effective rounds.
The audience's tolerance wore thin because of constant clinching, with Parker falling to the floor various instances during grappling.
The underdog closed well, but several stanzas were hard to judge. Nevertheless, ex-champion Carl Frampton - commentating on Dazn - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, awarding Buatsi just only one stanza.
Buatsi moves on, but with the presence of power puncher Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the journey to titles - based on this performance - still looks steep.
Ricky Hatton Homage Fuels Manchester Derby Fight
In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur beat Bradley Rea by close verdict in a excellent all-Manchester fight to win the European light heavyweight belt.
The stadium grew hushed for a extremely emotional memorial before the fight as 10 bells sounded in memory of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who died aged 46 in September.
It was the first major televised boxing event in the location since the passing of Hatton. As the concluding sound faded, the stillness transitioned to a chant of "there's just one Hatton".
The fighting inside the ropes equaled the feeling. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a left hook squarely on the face in the early round, rising shakily to his footing on the referee's count.
But the Manchester United-red shorts of the fighter soon came forward again. Across the ring, the opponent - in opposing blue - was injured soon, significant bruising forming under his eye as the fighters traded powerful shots.
The challenger, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but the champion, 34, matched the intensity with effective uppercuts as the action rarely dropped over 12 rounds.
Arthur barely secured the result with official scores of even score, 115-113 and clearer margin, but each competitor were persistent and courageous, everything their hero Hatton embodied.
