UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming start to life under recent management with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's punch output seemingly secured him a majority decision in a close 10-round fight at the Manchester venue.
But the challenger landed significant shots, landing some telling individual punches in a match where the styles didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing marring the action.
The scoring judges had it 96-94 for to the winner, with the final judge a 95-95.
"It wasn't my greatest display but how do champions respond? They prevail," the victor commented in the ringside as he was faced disapproval from the crowd.
The British fighter returned to winning ways after his first professional defeat - an epic battle with his previous opponent in last winter - to earn a twentieth professional win.
Various analysts believed the challenger, thirty-one, merited the win but the British boxer endured the second loss of his 28-match professional journey.
The Champion Earns Triumph in Dull Encounter
The fighter's advancement has stalled in recent times through promotional disputes and extended periods of lack of fights.
Earlier forecast as the future of the British fight scene, he now finds himself trying to realize his potential - perhaps in what appears to be a final roll of the dice - under recent support.
He started carefully, with both competitors ready to be aggressive in a cagey early stages.
The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at super middleweight against his former opponent in two years ago after breaking his hand in the contest, was competing in only his second fight at light-heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, the underdog had made it competitive, causing problems for the favorite, who operated with a tight guard to edge the cleaner periods.
The crowd's patience diminished because of frequent holding, with the challenger slipping to the canvas multiple occasions during close exchanges.
Parker ended stronger, but many rounds were challenging to assess. Although, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - commentating on the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for the challenger, giving Buatsi just only one stanza.
The victor progresses, but with the presence of hard hitter Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the path to championship success - based on this performance - still looks steep.
Ricky Hatton Memorial Fuels Manchester Derby Contest
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur overcame Rea by close verdict in a outstanding all-Manchester contest to win the European light heavyweight belt.
The venue fell silent for a profoundly moving homage ahead of the contest as a bell ceremony sounded in memory of the city's native Ricky Hatton, who died 46 years old in recently.
It was the initial significant broadcast fight night in the location since Hatton's passing. As the final chime faded, the silence gave way to a roar of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The action inside the ropes matched the feeling. Arthur was floored by a significant blow flush on the jaw in the initial stage, standing uncertainly to his feet on the count of eight.
But the red-colored equipment of the fighter soon came forward again. From the other corner, the opponent - in rival City blue - was injured quickly, noticeable damage forming under his face as the duo landed hard punches.
The challenger, 27, landed power punches but Arthur, 34, responded in kind with powerful upward punches as the action seldom decreased over twelve rounds.
Arthur narrowly won the decision with judges scorecards of draw, 115-113 and clearer margin, but the two athletes were persistent and full of heart, everything their inspiration the legend embodied.
