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British light-heavyweight Buatsi earned a win yet disappointing start to life under recent management with a decision win over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.

The Olympic medal winner's work rate likely gained him a judges' verdict in a tight 10-round bout at the Co-op Live Arena.

But Parker had his moments, connecting with powerful individual punches in a contest where the approaches never quite clicked, with excessive holding marring the contest.

The officials judged it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the final judge a even score.

"It wasn't my best performance but how do champions respond? They prevail," Buatsi commented in the ringside as he was greeted with boos from the spectators.

The Londoner bounced back after his maiden career setback - an epic battle with Callum Smith in February - to secure a twentieth professional win.

Some ringside observers felt Parker, thirty-one, deserved the win but the Derbyshire fighter endured the second loss of his 28-match career.

Buatsi Claims Victory in Slow Match

Buatsi's progress has stalled in recent years through contract problems and considerable time of inactivity.

Previously predicted as the next star of the British fight scene, he now stands trying to fulfil that early promise - perhaps in what appears to be a ultimate opportunity - under new promotional backing.

He started carefully, with both competitors ready to be aggressive in a cagey opening few rounds.

Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after damaging his hand in the contest, was participating in his second appearance at light-heavyweight.

By the middle rounds, the underdog had kept it close, causing problems for the favorite, who operated with a protective stance to narrowly win the better periods.

The crowd's patience decreased amid constant clinching, with Parker falling to the floor multiple occasions during close exchanges.

The underdog closed well, but multiple periods were hard to judge. Nevertheless, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - commentating on Dazn - had it particularly wide for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just one round.

The victor progresses, but with the caliber of hard hitter Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - on this evidence - still appears challenging.

Hatton Homage Fuels Local Rivalry Battle

In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by divided decision in a terrific Manchester vs Manchester fight to win the continental championship.

The venue grew hushed for a profoundly moving memorial before the fight as ten bells tolled in honor of the city's native Hatton, who succumbed aged 46 in September.

It was the premier televised fight night in the city since the passing of Hatton. As the last bell ended, the silence gave way to a chant of "there's only one Hatton".

The competition within the ring reflected the emotion. The eventual winner was knocked down by a left hook directly to the jaw in the second round, standing uncertainly to his footing on the referee's count.

But the red-colored equipment of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. Across the ring, the opponent - in rival City blue - was damaged soon, noticeable damage appearing under his face as the duo traded hard punches.

The challenger, 27, landed power punches but Arthur, thirty-four, responded in kind with powerful upward punches as the pace rarely dropped over twelve rounds.

The victor barely secured the verdict with official scores of even score, narrow lead and wider gap, but both fighters were relentless and full of heart, everything their idol the legend stood for.