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UK light-heavyweight Buatsi secured a victory yet unimpressive debut 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 split decision in a close ten-round bout at the Co-op Live Arena.

But Parker landed significant shots, connecting with powerful individual punches in a match where the approaches didn't complement each other, with excessive holding marring the action.

The scoring judges scored it 96-94 for to the winner, with the remaining official a even score.

"It wasn't my finest display but what defines champions? They prevail," the victor said in the arena as he was met by negative reactions from the spectators.

The Londoner got back to winning after his initial pro loss - an epic battle with Callum Smith in February - to claim a 20th career victory.

Various analysts believed the challenger, thirty-one, merited the win but the contender suffered the second defeat of his 28-fight professional journey.

Buatsi Earns Victory in Uneventful Encounter

The fighter's advancement has stalled in recent years through contract problems and extended periods of inactivity.

Earlier forecast as the future of the British fight scene, he now stands trying to realize his potential - possibly in what feels like a final roll of the dice - under fresh management.

He began cautiously, with neither fighter ready to take risks in a tentative opening few rounds.

The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at the lower weight class against John Ryder in 2022 after breaking his hand mid-fight, was participating in his second appearance at the higher weight class.

By the halfway stage, the underdog had stayed in contention, making life awkward for Buatsi, who operated with a solid defense to narrowly win the cleaner rounds.

The spectators' acceptance wore thin amid frequent holding, with the challenger slipping to the canvas multiple occasions during grappling.

Parker finished the stronger, but many rounds were hard to judge. Although, ex-champion the boxing analyst - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for the challenger, giving Buatsi just a single round.

Buatsi advances, but with the presence of power puncher David Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the road to world glory - on this evidence - still appears challenging.

Hatton Memorial Inspires Local Rivalry Contest

In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur beat Bradley Rea by close verdict in a excellent all-Manchester contest to win the continental title.

The arena became quiet for a extremely emotional homage ahead of the contest as a bell ceremony sounded in honor of Manchester's own Hatton, who succumbed at age 46 in September.

It was the initial significant broadcast match card in the location since Hatton's death. As the last bell faded, the quiet gave way to a chant of "there's just one Hatton".

The action inside the ropes equaled the sentiment. The eventual winner was knocked down by a significant blow flush on the jaw in the second round, rising shakily to his footing on the eight count.

But the traditional red attire of Arthur soon advanced again. From the other corner, Rea - in competitive blue - was marked up early, noticeable damage developing under his orbital area as the fighters landed hard punches.

Rea, twenty-seven, landed power punches but Arthur, 34, matched the intensity with effective uppercuts as the action hardly diminished over the full distance.

Arthur narrowly won the result with official scores of draw, 115-113 and wider gap, but each competitor were relentless and brave, exactly what their inspiration Hatton represented.