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British light heavyweight Buatsi made a winning yet disappointing beginning to life under recent management with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.

The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a close ten-round bout at the Co-op Live Arena.

But Parker landed significant shots, delivering effective clean blows in a match where the styles didn't complement each other, with frequent clinching marring the action.

The scoring judges judged it 96-94 in favor to the winner, with the third a 95-95.

"It wasn't my finest performance but what defines champions? They prevail," the victor stated in the ringside as he was faced boos from the crowd.

The Londoner got back to winning after his initial pro loss - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in February - to secure a twentieth professional win.

Various analysts thought the challenger, thirty-one, deserved the decision but the Derbyshire fighter endured the second loss of his 28-fight career.

The Champion Secures Victory in Uneventful Affair

Buatsi's progress has plateaued in the past few years through promotional disputes and extended periods of lack of fights.

Earlier forecast as the next star of British boxing, he now finds himself trying to achieve expectations - possibly in what appears to be a last chance - under recent support.

He started carefully, with neither fighter ready to be aggressive in a calculated early stages.

Parker, whose only previous defeat came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in 2022 after suffering a hand injury in the contest, was participating in his second fight at the higher weight class.

By the halfway stage, Parker had stayed in contention, causing problems for Buatsi, who operated with a tight guard to barely take the better rounds.

The spectators' acceptance decreased amid frequent holding, with the challenger going down several times during grappling.

The underdog finished the stronger, but many rounds were challenging to assess. Although, ex-champion the boxing analyst - working with Dazn - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just one round.

Buatsi progresses, but with the likes of hard hitter Benavidez, and Russian champion Bivol leading the category, the road to world glory - judging by this showing - still seems difficult.

Ricky Hatton Memorial Fuels Local Rivalry Fight

In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur beat Bradley Rea by split-decision in a terrific Manchester vs Manchester fight to secure the continental title.

The stadium fell silent for a profoundly moving memorial before the fight as ten bells tolled in honor of Manchester's own Hatton, who succumbed at age 46 in September.

It was the first major televised boxing event in the urban center since the passing of Hatton. As the last bell ended, the quiet transitioned to a chant of "there's only one Hatton".

The action during the bout matched the feeling. The eventual winner was knocked down by a powerful punch directly to the chin in the initial stage, standing uncertainly to his position on the referee's count.

But the red-colored attire of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in competitive blue - was injured soon, significant bruising developing under his face as the duo landed hard punches.

Rea, 27, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, thirty-four, matched the intensity with powerful upward punches as the intensity hardly diminished over 12 rounds.

Arthur edged the verdict with judges scorecards of 114-114, narrow lead and clearer margin, but the two athletes were persistent and full of heart, everything their hero the legend represented.