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UK light heavyweight Buatsi made a winning yet underwhelming start to life under new promoters with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.

The Olympic medal winner's work rate likely gained him a majority decision in a tight 10-round fight at the boxing arena.

But Parker landed significant shots, landing some telling clean blows in a fight where the styles didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing marring the action.

Two judges had it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the final judge a 95-95 draw.

"It wasn't my greatest performance but what defines champions? They win," the victor stated in the arena as he was met by boos from the crowd.

The Londoner returned to winning ways after his initial pro loss - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in last winter - to secure a 20th career victory.

Various analysts thought Parker, 31, deserved the victory but the British boxer endured the second defeat of his 28-bout career.

The Champion Earns Win in Dull Encounter

His career development has slowed in the past few years through contract problems and considerable time of inactivity.

Earlier forecast as the rising talent of British boxing, he now is positioned trying to achieve expectations - maybe in what feels like a ultimate opportunity - under fresh management.

He opened tentatively, with the two boxers ready to be aggressive in a tentative early stages.

Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after breaking his hand during the bout, was participating in his second bout at the higher weight class.

By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had made it competitive, making life awkward for the favorite, who utilized a protective stance to barely take the more effective periods.

The spectators' acceptance decreased because of frequent holding, with the challenger slipping to the canvas various instances during clinches.

The underdog closed well, but many rounds were hard to judge. However, former world champion the boxing analyst - providing analysis for Dazn - had it particularly wide for Parker, awarding Buatsi just only one stanza.

The victor moves on, 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 Contest

In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur defeated Rea by divided decision in a terrific local rivalry battle to secure the continental championship.

The stadium became quiet for a profoundly moving memorial prior to the bout as ten bells rang in honor of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who succumbed aged 46 in recently.

It was the first major televised boxing event in the location since the passing of Hatton. As the final chime ended, the silence became a shout of "there's only one Hatton".

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

But the traditional red shorts of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. From the other corner, the opponent - in competitive blue - was marked up quickly, significant bruising developing under his eye as the pair landed hard punches.

The challenger, twenty-seven, landed power punches but Arthur, 34, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the pace seldom decreased over 12 rounds.

The victor barely secured the verdict with scoring tallies of draw, 115-113 and clearer margin, but the two athletes were persistent and full of heart, everything their idol Hatton represented.