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UK light heavyweight Buatsi earned a win yet underwhelming start to life under new promoters with a points victory over Parker in the Manchester arena.

The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a competitive 10-round bout at the Manchester venue.

But Parker had his moments, delivering effective individual punches in a match where the styles never quite clicked, with excessive holding spoiling the contest.

The scoring judges judged it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the remaining official a even score.

"It wasn't my finest showing but what defines champions? They succeed," Buatsi said in the ring as he was met by boos from the spectators.

The Londoner bounced back after his maiden career setback - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a twentieth professional win.

Several boxing experts thought the challenger, thirty-one, deserved the decision but the contender suffered the second setback of his 28-match professional journey.

The Champion Earns Triumph in Uneventful Match

The fighter's advancement has plateaued in recent years through promotional disputes and considerable time of lack of fights.

Previously predicted as the rising talent of the British fight scene, he now stands trying to fulfil that early promise - maybe in what seems like a last chance - under fresh management.

He started carefully, with both competitors prepared to be aggressive in a calculated early stages.

Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super middleweight against his former opponent in two years ago after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was making just his second fight at light heavyweight.

By the middle rounds, Parker had made it competitive, causing problems for the favorite, who utilized a tight guard to edge the better stanzas.

The crowd's patience wore thin because of regular grabbing, with the challenger slipping to the canvas multiple occasions during clinches.

The underdog finished the stronger, but several stanzas were hard to judge. Although, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it significantly in favor for Parker, awarding Buatsi just one round.

Buatsi moves on, but with the caliber of hard hitter Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the path to championship success - judging by this showing - still appears challenging.

Hatton Homage Inspires Local Rivalry Battle

In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by split-decision in a terrific all-Manchester contest to win the European light heavyweight title.

The stadium grew hushed for a deeply poignant homage before the fight as ten bells tolled in honor of the city's native Ricky Hatton, who succumbed 46 years old in recently.

It was the initial significant broadcast match card in the location since Hatton's death. As the concluding sound faded, the silence gave way to a roar of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".

The action within the ring reflected the feeling. Arthur was floored by a powerful punch squarely on the chin in the second round, rising shakily to his footing on the referee's count.

But the red-colored attire of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, Rea - in rival City blue - was damaged early, noticeable damage developing under his face as the pair exchanged hard punches.

The challenger, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but the champion, thirty-four, responded in kind with stinging uppercuts as the intensity rarely dropped over twelve rounds.

Arthur barely secured the decision with scoring tallies of 114-114, close margin and wider gap, but both fighters were relentless and brave, exactly what their idol the legend embodied.