British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet unimpressive start to life under fresh promotional backing with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic bronze medallist's work rate likely gained him a majority decision in a close 10-round bout at the boxing arena.
But the challenger found success, connecting with powerful clean blows in a match where the styles failed to mesh, with excessive holding marring the contest.
Two judges had it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the remaining official a even score.
"It wasn't my greatest display but how do champions respond? They succeed," the victor stated in the ring as he was met by boos from the audience.
The British fighter bounced back after his first professional defeat - an epic battle with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a 20th pro success.
Several boxing experts thought Parker, thirty-one, merited the decision but the British boxer endured the second defeat of his 28-bout career.
The Champion Secures Victory in Uneventful Match
The fighter's advancement has plateaued in recent times through promotional disputes and long spells of lack of fights.
Once tipped as the rising talent of UK boxing, he now finds himself trying to fulfil that early promise - maybe in what appears to be a last chance - under recent support.
He started carefully, with both competitors willing to overcommit in a calculated opening few rounds.
The challenger, whose single earlier setback came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in two years ago after damaging his hand in the contest, was making just his second appearance at the higher weight class.
By the halfway stage, the underdog had stayed in contention, causing problems for the favorite, who operated with a solid defense to barely take the cleaner rounds.
The crowd's patience diminished amid constant clinching, with Parker going down various instances during clinches.
The underdog closed well, but multiple periods were challenging to assess. Although, ex-champion Carl Frampton - commentating on the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for Parker, awarding Buatsi just one round.
Buatsi moves on, but with the presence of power puncher Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the path to championship success - on this evidence - still seems difficult.
Hatton Memorial Fuels Manchester Derby Battle
In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by split-decision in a outstanding local rivalry battle to capture the continental belt.
The venue became quiet for a deeply poignant memorial prior to the bout as ten bells sounded in honor of the city's native Ricky Hatton, who died 46 years old in recently.
It was the first major televised match card in the location since Hatton's passing. As the final chime faded, the silence became a shout of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".
The action within the ring matched the emotion. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a left hook flush on the chin in the second round, rising shakily to his position on the count of eight.
But the traditional red shorts of Arthur soon advanced again. On the opposite side, Rea - in competitive blue - was injured quickly, heavy swelling forming under his eye as the fighters traded hard punches.
Rea, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with powerful upward punches as the pace hardly diminished over 12 rounds.
Arthur edged the verdict with official scores of draw, narrow lead and 115-112, but the two athletes were relentless and brave, everything their idol Hatton embodied.
