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UK light heavyweight Buatsi secured a victory yet disappointing start to life under fresh promotional backing with a decision win over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.

The Olympic bronze medallist's work rate seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a competitive ten-round bout at the Manchester venue.

But Parker landed significant shots, delivering effective clean blows in a match where the approaches failed to mesh, with frequent clinching disrupting the fight.

The scoring judges judged it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the third a 95-95 draw.

"It wasn't my greatest performance but what do champions do? They succeed," the victor said in the ringside 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 secure a twentieth professional win.

Several boxing experts felt the challenger, 31, should have been awarded the victory but the contender suffered the second defeat of his 28-bout career.

The Champion Claims Win in Dull Affair

The fighter's advancement has slowed in recent times through promotional disputes and long spells of lack of fights.

Once tipped as the rising talent of the British fight scene, he now stands trying to realize his potential - possibly in what appears to be a ultimate opportunity - under new promotional backing.

He began cautiously, with both competitors ready to take risks in a calculated early stages.

The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in 2022 after damaging his hand in the contest, was participating in his second fight at light heavyweight.

By the halfway stage, the underdog had kept it close, creating difficulties for the favorite, who utilized a tight guard to narrowly win the cleaner periods.

The audience's tolerance diminished amid regular grabbing, with the challenger falling to the floor multiple occasions during clinches.

Parker finished the stronger, but several stanzas were difficult to score. Although, former world champion the boxing analyst - working with the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just only one stanza.

The victor moves on, but with the likes of power puncher David Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - on this evidence - still looks steep.

Ricky Hatton Tribute Motivates All-Manchester Fight

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

The stadium became quiet for a extremely emotional homage prior to the bout as a bell ceremony tolled in memory of local hero Ricky Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in last month.

It was the initial significant broadcast boxing event in the city since Hatton's passing. As the last bell disappeared, the silence gave way to a chant of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".

The action within the ring reflected the feeling. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a significant blow squarely on the chin in the early round, getting up unsteadily to his position on the eight count.

But the traditional red equipment of Arthur soon came forward again. From the other corner, the opponent - in competitive blue - was damaged quickly, significant bruising developing under his face as the duo traded hard punches.

Rea, 27, connected with strong blows but Arthur, 34, fought fire with fire with powerful upward punches as the action hardly diminished over 12 rounds.

Arthur narrowly won the verdict with scoring tallies of draw, close margin and 115-112, but both fighters were relentless and brave, exactly what their idol the legend stood for.