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UK light-heavyweight Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming start to his career under new promoters with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.

The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a close 10-round bout at the Co-op Live Arena.

But Parker had his moments, delivering effective clean blows in a fight where the approaches never quite clicked, with excessive holding marring the action.

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

"It wasn't my greatest performance but what do champions do? They succeed," the victor commented in the ring as he was met by negative reactions from the audience.

The British fighter returned to winning ways after his initial pro loss - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a twentieth professional win.

Various analysts thought Parker, 31, deserved the decision but the Derbyshire fighter endured the second setback of his 28-match professional journey.

Buatsi Claims Triumph in Uneventful Encounter

Buatsi's progress has stalled in recent years through promotional disputes and long spells of inactivity.

Previously predicted as the next star of the British fight scene, he now finds himself trying to achieve expectations - possibly in what feels like a last chance - under new promotional backing.

He began cautiously, with both competitors ready to take risks in a calculated initial rounds.

Parker, whose only previous defeat 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 halfway stage, Parker had made it competitive, making life awkward for Buatsi, who operated with a solid defense to narrowly win the better rounds.

The spectators' acceptance wore thin amid regular grabbing, with Parker going down several times during grappling.

Parker ended stronger, but many rounds were challenging to assess. However, ex-champion Carl Frampton - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it significantly in favor for the challenger, giving Buatsi just one round.

Buatsi advances, but with the caliber of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - on this evidence - still seems difficult.

Hatton Homage Fuels All-Manchester Fight

In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur beat Bradley Rea by split-decision in a outstanding local rivalry battle to win the European light-heavyweight championship.

The arena became quiet for a profoundly moving memorial prior to the bout as ten bells rang in honor of Manchester's own Hatton, who passed away 46 years old in September.

It was the initial significant broadcast match card in the city since the passing of Hatton. As the final chime ended, the silence became a roar of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".

The fighting during the bout reflected the feeling. Arthur was floored by a powerful punch directly to the jaw in the initial stage, getting up unsteadily to his footing on the count of eight.

But the Manchester United-red attire of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in competitive blue - was damaged early, noticeable damage developing under his eye as the pair exchanged punishing blows.

The challenger, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but Arthur, 34, responded in kind with effective uppercuts as the intensity rarely dropped over the full distance.

The victor barely secured the result with official scores of draw, 115-113 and clearer margin, but the two athletes were determined and courageous, everything their inspiration the legend represented.