UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet unimpressive debut to life under fresh promotional backing with a points victory over Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate appeared to earn him a judges' verdict in a competitive 10-round contest at the Manchester venue.
But Parker had his moments, delivering effective clean blows in a fight where the approaches failed to mesh, with excessive holding marring the fight.
The scoring judges had it 96-94 to the winner, with the remaining official a even score.
"It wasn't my greatest performance but what do champions do? They prevail," the victor stated in the arena as he was met by disapproval from the crowd.
The British fighter bounced back after his initial pro loss - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a 20th career victory.
Some ringside observers felt the challenger, 31, should have been awarded the victory but the Derbyshire fighter experienced the second setback of his 28-bout professional journey.
Buatsi Earns Victory in Dull Match
The fighter's advancement has plateaued in recent years through promotional disputes and long spells of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the rising talent of UK boxing, he now stands trying to realize his potential - possibly in what appears to be a ultimate opportunity - under new promotional backing.
He opened tentatively, with both competitors ready to be aggressive in a calculated opening few rounds.
The challenger, whose single earlier setback came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in two years ago after damaging his hand in the contest, was competing in only his second appearance at light heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had stayed in contention, making life awkward for Buatsi, who utilized a protective stance to narrowly win the cleaner rounds.
The spectators' acceptance diminished during regular grabbing, with Parker falling to the floor several times during close exchanges.
The underdog ended stronger, but many rounds were difficult to score. Although, previous titleholder Carl Frampton - commentating on the broadcast network - had it significantly in favor for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just one round.
Buatsi moves on, but with the caliber of hard hitter Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Bivol dominating the weight class, the road to world glory - judging by this showing - still looks steep.
Ricky Hatton Tribute Fuels Local Rivalry Battle
In the secondary fight, Arthur overcame Rea by split-decision in a outstanding local rivalry battle to win the European light-heavyweight title.
The arena fell silent for a profoundly moving tribute ahead of the contest as a bell ceremony sounded in honor of the city's native Hatton, who passed away 46 years old in September.
It was the premier televised boxing event in the city since Hatton's passing. As the final chime ended, the silence became a roar of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The action during the bout reflected the emotion. The eventual winner was knocked down by a significant blow squarely on the face in the second round, standing uncertainly to his feet on the count of eight.
But the traditional red shorts of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in opposing blue - was injured quickly, heavy swelling appearing under his orbital area as the pair landed punishing blows.
The challenger, twenty-seven, landed power punches but the champion, 34, responded in kind with stinging uppercuts as the action hardly diminished over twelve rounds.
The victor barely secured the decision with judges scorecards of draw, 115-113 and wider gap, but each competitor were relentless and courageous, all the qualities their idol Hatton stood for.
