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UK light-heavyweight Buatsi earned a win yet underwhelming beginning to life under fresh promotional backing with a decision win over Parker in the Manchester arena.

The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level likely gained him a majority decision in a close ten-round bout at the boxing arena.

But Parker found success, landing some telling individual punches in a contest where the styles failed to mesh, with excessive holding disrupting the contest.

Two judges judged it 96-94 in favor to the winner, with the third a 95-95 draw.

"It wasn't my finest performance but what defines champions? They succeed," Buatsi stated in the arena as he was greeted with boos from the audience.

The British fighter bounced back after his first professional defeat - an memorable fight with his previous opponent in last winter - to earn a 20th career victory.

Various analysts believed Parker, 31, should have been awarded the victory but the Derbyshire fighter endured the second defeat of his 28-fight professional journey.

Buatsi Secures Triumph in Uneventful Encounter

His career development has plateaued in recent years through promotional disputes and extended periods of inactivity.

Earlier forecast as the future of British boxing, he now stands trying to achieve expectations - maybe in what seems like a ultimate opportunity - under new promotional backing.

He opened tentatively, with both competitors willing to overcommit in a tentative initial rounds.

The challenger, whose single earlier setback came at super middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after suffering a hand injury mid-fight, was making just his second bout at light-heavyweight.

By the halfway stage, the underdog had kept it close, creating difficulties for the favorite, who worked behind a tight guard to narrowly win the more effective periods.

The audience's tolerance wore thin because of frequent holding, with Parker going down various instances during clinches.

Parker ended stronger, but several stanzas were hard to judge. Nevertheless, ex-champion the boxing analyst - commentating on Dazn - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, awarding Buatsi just only one stanza.

Buatsi advances, but with the likes of power puncher Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Bivol ruling the division, the journey to titles - judging by this showing - still looks steep.

Ricky Hatton Memorial Fuels Local Rivalry Fight

In the secondary fight, Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by split-decision in a outstanding Manchester vs Manchester contest to capture the continental belt.

The stadium became quiet for a deeply poignant homage before the fight as 10 bells tolled in honor of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who died at age 46 in September.

It was the initial significant broadcast match card in the urban center since Hatton's death. As the concluding sound ended, the silence became a shout of "there's only one Hatton".

The competition within the ring equaled the emotion. Arthur was knocked down by a left hook directly to the jaw in the second round, getting up unsteadily to his position on the count of eight.

But the traditional red equipment of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. From the other corner, the opponent - in opposing blue - was damaged quickly, heavy swelling developing under his orbital area as the pair traded punishing blows.

Rea, 27, connected with strong blows but Arthur, thirty-four, responded in kind with stinging uppercuts as the intensity hardly diminished over twelve rounds.

The victor barely secured the result with scoring tallies of even score, narrow lead and wider gap, but the two athletes were determined and full of heart, exactly what their hero the legend embodied.