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British light heavyweight Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming beginning to his career under fresh promotional backing with a points victory over Parker in the Manchester arena.

The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level seemingly secured him a majority decision in a competitive ten-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.

But Parker had his moments, landing some telling clean blows in a contest where the styles never quite clicked, with constant grabbing disrupting the contest.

The officials had it 96-94 for to the winner, with the remaining official a 95-95 draw.

"It wasn't my best display but how do champions respond? They succeed," the victor stated in the ringside as he was faced boos from the crowd.

The Londoner returned to winning ways after his initial pro loss - an epic battle with his previous opponent in February - to claim a 20th career victory.

Some ringside observers felt the challenger, thirty-one, deserved the decision but the Derbyshire fighter suffered the second setback of his 28-match career.

Buatsi Earns Victory in Uneventful Encounter

His career development has slowed in recent years through contract problems and considerable time of inactivity.

Previously predicted as the future of the British fight scene, he now is positioned trying to fulfil that early promise - perhaps in what seems like a final roll of the dice - under recent support.

He started carefully, with neither fighter willing to be aggressive in a cagey initial rounds.

Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after breaking his hand during the bout, was competing in only his second bout at the higher weight class.

By the middle rounds, the underdog had made it competitive, making life awkward for Buatsi, who utilized a tight guard to edge the better periods.

The spectators' acceptance decreased during regular grabbing, with the challenger going down several times during clinches.

Parker ended stronger, but several stanzas were difficult to score. Although, previous titleholder Carl Frampton - working with the broadcast network - had it significantly in favor for the challenger, giving Buatsi just one round.

The victor advances, but with the caliber of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol ruling the division, the journey to titles - on this evidence - still appears challenging.

Hatton Tribute Motivates Manchester Derby Contest

In the secondary fight, Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by close verdict in a terrific all-Manchester fight to capture the European light-heavyweight championship.

The arena grew hushed for a deeply poignant homage prior to the bout as 10 bells tolled in memory of local hero Ricky Hatton, who died 46 years old in last month.

It was the premier televised boxing event in the location since Hatton's passing. As the final chime disappeared, the stillness became a chant of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".

The action within the ring equaled the emotion. The eventual winner was knocked down by a significant blow directly to the face in the initial stage, standing uncertainly to his feet on the referee's count.

But the traditional red equipment of the fighter soon came forward again. From the other corner, the opponent - in rival City blue - was injured soon, noticeable damage appearing under his eye as the duo traded punishing blows.

Rea, 27, connected with strong blows but the champion, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the intensity seldom decreased over the full distance.

The victor barely secured the result with scoring tallies of even score, close margin and wider gap, but each competitor were persistent and full of heart, exactly what their hero the legend embodied.