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British light heavyweight Buatsi secured a victory yet unimpressive beginning to life under recent management with a decision win over Parker in Manchester.

The Olympic bronze medallist's punch output likely gained him a split decision in a close ten-round contest at the boxing arena.

But the challenger found success, landing some telling clean blows in a contest where the styles never quite clicked, with constant grabbing spoiling the fight.

The scoring judges judged it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the remaining official a 95-95 draw.

"It wasn't my best showing but how do champions respond? They succeed," the victor said in the ring as he was met by negative reactions from the crowd.

The British fighter bounced back after his initial pro loss - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in last winter - to claim a 20th career victory.

Various analysts thought the challenger, thirty-one, should have been awarded the decision but the contender endured the second defeat of his 28-fight career.

Buatsi Claims Victory in Slow Encounter

His career development has slowed in the past few years through management issues and considerable time of lack of fights.

Earlier forecast as the next star of British boxing, 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 opened tentatively, with neither fighter ready to be aggressive in a calculated initial rounds.

The challenger, whose sole prior loss came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after damaging his hand in the contest, was making just his second appearance at light heavyweight.

By the middle rounds, Parker had made it competitive, making life awkward for the favorite, who operated with a tight guard to edge the better stanzas.

The crowd's patience decreased during constant clinching, with Parker falling to the floor various instances during grappling.

The underdog closed well, but many rounds were challenging to assess. Although, ex-champion the boxing analyst - commentating on Dazn - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just one round.

Buatsi advances, but with the presence of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - judging by this showing - still appears challenging.

Hatton Memorial Fuels All-Manchester Contest

In the secondary fight, Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by close verdict in a excellent all-Manchester battle to win the continental belt.

The arena fell silent for a deeply poignant tribute before the fight as 10 bells tolled in memory of local hero Ricky Hatton, who passed away at age 46 in recently.

It was the premier televised match card in the city since Hatton's passing. As the final chime ended, the quiet gave way to a roar of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".

The competition within the ring equaled the feeling. The eventual winner was floored by a significant blow squarely on the face in the early round, rising shakily to his position on the referee's count.

But the red-colored attire of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. Across the ring, Rea - in opposing blue - was injured quickly, noticeable damage forming under his eye as the pair exchanged punishing blows.

The challenger, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, 34, fought fire with fire with stinging uppercuts as the action hardly diminished over 12 rounds.

The victor barely secured the decision with official scores of draw, close margin and 115-112, but each competitor were persistent and courageous, everything their inspiration the legend stood for.