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British light heavyweight Buatsi made a winning yet disappointing start to life under recent management with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in Manchester.

The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level seemingly secured him a majority decision in a close 10-round fight at the boxing arena.

But the challenger found success, connecting with powerful single shots in a match where the techniques didn't complement each other, with frequent clinching spoiling the contest.

The scoring judges scored it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the third a even score.

"It wasn't my finest display but how do champions respond? They succeed," the victor commented in the ring as he was met by negative reactions from the spectators.

The British fighter bounced back after his maiden career setback - an epic battle with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a 20th pro success.

Various analysts believed the challenger, thirty-one, deserved the win but the British boxer suffered the second setback of his 28-bout professional journey.

Buatsi Secures Victory in Uneventful Affair

The fighter's advancement has slowed in the past few years through management issues and long spells of inactivity.

Once tipped as the rising talent of UK boxing, he now is positioned trying to realize his potential - perhaps in what appears to be a ultimate opportunity - under fresh management.

He began cautiously, with the two boxers willing to take risks in a calculated initial rounds.

The challenger, whose single earlier setback came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after damaging his hand during the bout, was participating in his second bout at the higher weight class.

By the halfway stage, the underdog had made it competitive, causing problems for the favorite, who utilized a tight guard to edge the better periods.

The audience's tolerance diminished because of frequent holding, with Parker going down several times during close exchanges.

Parker finished the stronger, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. However, previous titleholder Carl Frampton - working with the broadcast network - had it significantly in favor for Parker, giving Buatsi just one round.

Buatsi moves on, but with the likes of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Bivol dominating the weight class, the journey to titles - judging by this showing - still seems difficult.

Hatton Tribute Fuels All-Manchester Fight

In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur beat Bradley Rea by divided decision in a excellent all-Manchester battle to win the European light heavyweight title.

The arena fell silent for a deeply poignant memorial ahead of the contest as ten bells sounded in honor of local hero Ricky Hatton, who died aged 46 in September.

It was the first major televised boxing event in the urban center since Hatton's passing. As the final chime ended, the stillness transitioned to a shout of "there's just one Hatton".

The competition during the bout reflected the emotion. The eventual winner was knocked down by a left hook flush on the jaw in the second round, rising shakily to his position on the count of eight.

But the red-colored equipment of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, Rea - in rival City blue - was marked up early, significant bruising forming under his eye as the fighters exchanged hard punches.

The challenger, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but Arthur, 34, fought fire with fire with stinging uppercuts as the pace hardly diminished over 12 rounds.

Arthur narrowly won the decision with judges scorecards of draw, close margin and 115-112, but both fighters were determined and full of heart, exactly what their inspiration the legend embodied.