British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet disappointing beginning to life under recent management with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level appeared to earn him a split decision in a tight ten-round fight at the boxing arena.
But Parker found success, connecting with powerful clean blows in a contest where the styles didn't complement each other, with frequent clinching marring the fight.
The officials judged it 96-94 to the winner, with the final judge a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my finest showing but what defines champions? They succeed," the victor commented in the ringside as he was greeted with negative reactions from the audience.
The British fighter returned to winning ways after his first professional defeat - an memorable fight with his previous opponent in February - to secure a 20th career victory.
Several boxing experts thought the challenger, 31, merited the decision but the British boxer endured the second loss of his 28-bout professional journey.
The fighter's advancement has slowed in the past few years through contract problems and long spells of inactivity.
Once tipped as the future of the British fight scene, he now finds himself trying to realize his potential - possibly in what seems like a ultimate opportunity - under recent support.
He opened tentatively, with neither fighter willing to overcommit in a cagey early stages.
Parker, whose single earlier setback came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in two years ago after breaking his hand during the bout, was making just his second bout at light heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, Parker had kept it close, creating difficulties for the favorite, who worked behind a protective stance to edge the better periods.
The crowd's patience wore thin amid constant clinching, with Parker falling to the floor several times during close exchanges.
Parker finished the stronger, but multiple periods were difficult to score. Nevertheless, previous titleholder Carl Frampton - providing analysis for Dazn - had it particularly wide for Parker, awarding Buatsi just one round.
Buatsi progresses, but with the caliber of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Bivol dominating the weight class, the path to championship success - judging by this showing - still appears challenging.
In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur beat Rea by close verdict in a terrific all-Manchester battle to win the continental championship.
The venue became quiet for a profoundly moving homage prior to the bout as ten bells tolled in remembrance of the city's native Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in last month.
It was the initial significant broadcast match card in the urban center since Hatton's death. As the concluding sound faded, the stillness gave way to a chant of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".
The competition during the bout matched the emotion. The eventual winner was floored by a significant blow directly to the face in the early round, standing uncertainly to his feet on the count of eight.
But the red-colored shorts of the fighter soon advanced again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in competitive blue - was injured quickly, noticeable damage appearing under his face as the pair landed powerful shots.
Rea, 27, landed power punches but Arthur, 34, matched the intensity with stinging uppercuts as the pace hardly diminished over the full distance.
The victor edged the decision with official scores of draw, close margin and wider gap, but both fighters were determined and full of heart, everything their hero the legend stood for.
Maya Chen is a tech journalist and lifestyle blogger with over a decade of experience covering digital trends and cultural shifts.
