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UK light-heavyweight Buatsi made a winning yet disappointing start to life under new promoters with a decision win over Zach Parker in Manchester.

The Olympic medal winner's activity level seemingly secured him a majority decision in a tight 10-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.

But Parker landed significant shots, landing some telling single shots in a fight where the approaches failed to mesh, with constant grabbing marring the action.

The officials scored it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the third a 95-95.

"It wasn't my greatest performance but what do champions do? They win," Buatsi said in the ringside as he was met by disapproval from the audience.

The Londoner got back to winning after his initial pro loss - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in last winter - to secure a 20th career victory.

Several boxing experts thought Parker, 31, should have been awarded the victory but the British boxer suffered the second defeat of his 28-match professional journey.

Buatsi Claims Win in Slow Affair

Buatsi's progress has plateaued in recent years through contract problems and extended periods of inactivity.

Previously predicted as the future of British boxing, he now is positioned trying to achieve expectations - maybe in what appears to be a final roll of the dice - under recent support.

He started carefully, with the two boxers prepared to take risks in a calculated opening few rounds.

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

By the middle rounds, Parker had made it competitive, making life awkward for Buatsi, who operated with a tight guard to barely take the more effective periods.

The crowd's patience diminished amid regular grabbing, with the challenger falling to the floor various instances during close exchanges.

The underdog closed well, but several stanzas were hard to judge. However, former world champion the boxing analyst - providing analysis for Dazn - had it significantly in favor for the challenger, giving Buatsi just one round.

The victor moves on, but with the presence of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol dominating the weight class, the path to championship success - judging by this showing - still appears challenging.

Ricky Hatton Memorial Motivates Manchester Derby Battle

In the supporting bout, Arthur defeated Rea by divided decision in a outstanding all-Manchester battle to win the continental title.

The stadium fell silent for a extremely emotional tribute ahead of the contest as ten bells sounded in memory of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who passed away at age 46 in last month.

It was the first major televised match card in the urban center since Hatton's passing. As the last bell faded, the quiet became a chant of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".

The competition inside the ropes matched the feeling. The eventual winner was floored by a significant blow directly to the chin in the second round, standing uncertainly to his feet on the referee's count.

But the red-colored shorts of Arthur soon came forward again. Across the ring, Rea - in rival City blue - was damaged quickly, noticeable damage forming under his face as the pair exchanged hard punches.

Rea, twenty-seven, landed power punches but Arthur, thirty-four, responded in kind with powerful upward punches as the action seldom decreased over the full distance.

The victor narrowly won the verdict with official scores of 114-114, 115-113 and 115-112, but the two athletes were determined and full of heart, all the qualities their hero Hatton stood for.