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British light-heavyweight Buatsi made a winning yet disappointing debut to life under fresh promotional backing with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.

The Olympic bronze medallist's work rate appeared to earn him a judges' verdict in a competitive 10-round bout at the boxing arena.

But Parker landed significant shots, connecting with powerful clean blows in a fight where the styles never quite clicked, with constant grabbing marring the action.

Two judges scored it 96-94 to the winner, with the remaining official a 95-95.

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

The British fighter got back to winning after his initial pro loss - an epic battle with his previous opponent in last winter - to secure a 20th pro success.

Some ringside observers thought Parker, 31, deserved the victory but the contender experienced the second defeat of his 28-fight professional journey.

The Champion Earns Win in Dull Affair

His career development has stalled in recent years through promotional disputes and long spells of inactivity.

Earlier forecast as the next star of UK boxing, he now is positioned trying to fulfil that early promise - possibly in what appears to be a last chance - under new promotional backing.

He began cautiously, with the two boxers prepared to take risks in a cagey opening few rounds.

The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was participating in his second fight at light-heavyweight.

By the middle rounds, the underdog had kept it close, causing problems for Buatsi, who utilized a tight guard to barely take the cleaner stanzas.

The audience's tolerance decreased because of regular grabbing, with the challenger going down several times during grappling.

The underdog ended stronger, but several stanzas were hard to judge. Nevertheless, former world champion Carl Frampton - providing analysis for Dazn - had it significantly in favor for Parker, giving Buatsi just only one stanza.

The victor advances, but with the likes of power puncher David Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - based on this performance - still looks steep.

Ricky Hatton Memorial Inspires All-Manchester Fight

In the co-main event, Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by close verdict in a terrific Manchester vs Manchester fight to win the European light heavyweight belt.

The arena grew hushed for a extremely emotional tribute ahead of the contest as ten bells rang in remembrance of Manchester's own Hatton, who succumbed aged 46 in last month.

It was the first major televised match card in the urban center since Hatton's passing. As the concluding sound faded, the quiet gave way to a shout of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".

The competition inside the ropes matched the sentiment. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a powerful punch flush on the face in the second round, getting up unsteadily to his footing on the count of eight.

But the traditional red attire of the fighter soon came forward again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in rival City blue - was injured quickly, noticeable damage developing under his eye as the pair landed punishing blows.

Rea, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, thirty-four, matched the intensity with effective uppercuts as the intensity seldom decreased over 12 rounds.

The victor barely secured the decision with judges scorecards of 114-114, 115-113 and clearer margin, but each competitor were relentless and full of heart, everything their inspiration the legend stood for.