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UK light heavyweight Buatsi earned a win yet unimpressive beginning to life under recent management with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.

The Olympic medal winner's activity level appeared to earn him a majority decision in a close 10-round fight at the boxing arena.

But Parker had his moments, connecting with powerful clean blows in a contest where the approaches failed to mesh, with frequent clinching disrupting the contest.

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

"It wasn't my greatest showing but what do champions do? They win," Buatsi commented in the arena as he was faced negative reactions from the audience.

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

Some ringside observers felt Parker, thirty-one, should have been awarded the decision but the Derbyshire fighter endured the second setback of his 28-bout career.

The Champion Secures Win in Dull Encounter

The fighter's advancement has plateaued in the past few years through management issues and considerable time of lack of fights.

Previously predicted as the rising talent of UK boxing, he now finds himself trying to achieve expectations - perhaps in what seems like a last chance - under fresh management.

He started carefully, with neither fighter ready to overcommit in a tentative initial rounds.

Parker, whose only previous defeat came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after breaking his hand during the bout, was participating in his second fight at the higher weight class.

By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had made it competitive, making life awkward for the favorite, who worked behind a solid defense to barely take the better periods.

The crowd's patience decreased during regular grabbing, with Parker slipping to the canvas several times during clinches.

The underdog closed well, but many rounds were hard to judge. However, former world champion the boxing analyst - commentating on the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for Parker, awarding Buatsi just a single round.

The victor moves on, but with the caliber of power puncher David Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Bivol dominating the weight class, the path to championship success - based on this performance - still appears challenging.

Ricky Hatton Memorial Motivates Local Rivalry Battle

In the supporting bout, Arthur defeated Rea by close verdict in a excellent local rivalry battle to capture the European light heavyweight championship.

The arena fell silent for a deeply poignant memorial ahead of the contest as ten bells sounded in remembrance of the city's native Ricky Hatton, who succumbed at age 46 in last month.

It was the initial significant broadcast match card in the urban center since the passing of Hatton. As the last bell ended, the silence became a roar of "there's only one Hatton".

The fighting during the bout reflected the sentiment. Arthur was floored by a powerful punch directly to the face in the second round, rising shakily to his position on the count of eight.

But the Manchester United-red shorts of Arthur soon came forward again. Across the ring, the opponent - in competitive blue - was damaged soon, heavy swelling appearing under his orbital area as the duo traded hard punches.

The challenger, 27, delivered effective strikes but the champion, 34, matched the intensity with powerful upward punches as the intensity hardly diminished over the full distance.

Arthur barely secured the verdict with judges scorecards of even score, narrow lead and clearer margin, but both fighters were determined and full of heart, exactly what their hero the legend embodied.