Kevin Mitchell remains on course for a world title clash with Ricky Burns but he had to work for a points win over Felix Lora at York Hall.
Mitchell could not find a finishing punch after flooring Lora in the second round and he failed to shine ahead of an expected battle of Britain with Burns, who defends his WBO lightweight title against Paulus Moses next month.
The Dagenham fighter looked set for a short night when Lora was dropped by a left hand in the second, but the man from the Dominican Republic grimly held on until the bell.
Lora gamely fired back in the fifth round, but he was left with a bloody nose after Mitchell landed crisp shots in the seventh.
Mitchell did not maintain this aggression and Lora responded with a series of right hands in the eighth, although he did ship a left hook from the Londoner in the ninth.
Lora was hurt in the 10th as Mitchell tried to close the show in style, but his brave foe survived until the final bell.
On the undercard, former Olympian Bradley Saunders started his paid career with a third round knockout win over Jason Nesbitt.
