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British light heavyweight Buatsi made a winning yet unimpressive debut to life under recent management with a unanimous decision over Parker in the Manchester arena.

The Olympic medal winner's activity level likely gained him a judges' verdict in a competitive ten-round bout at the Manchester venue.

But Parker landed significant shots, delivering effective single shots in a contest where the styles didn't complement each other, with frequent clinching spoiling the fight.

The officials scored it 96-94 to the winner, with the third a 95-95 draw.

"It wasn't my best performance but what defines champions? They prevail," the victor stated in the arena as he was greeted with disapproval from the spectators.

The British fighter got back to winning after his initial pro loss - an epic battle with Callum Smith in last winter - to secure a twentieth professional win.

Various analysts felt the challenger, 31, merited the decision but the contender endured the second defeat of his 28-match career.

Buatsi Secures Win in Dull Encounter

Buatsi's progress has slowed in recent times through contract problems and considerable time of inactivity.

Once tipped as the future of British boxing, he now is positioned trying to realize his potential - perhaps in what seems like a ultimate opportunity - under fresh management.

He began cautiously, with neither fighter willing to be aggressive in a cagey opening few rounds.

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

By the halfway stage, Parker had kept it close, creating difficulties for the favorite, who worked behind a protective stance to edge the better periods.

The audience's tolerance decreased because of constant clinching, with the challenger going down several times during clinches.

The underdog closed well, but multiple periods were hard to judge. Nevertheless, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - commentating on the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just only one stanza.

Buatsi advances, but with the likes of hard hitter Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol dominating the weight class, the journey to titles - based on this performance - still looks steep.

Ricky Hatton Tribute Motivates Local Rivalry Battle

In the secondary fight, Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by close verdict in a terrific local rivalry fight to secure the European light-heavyweight title.

The stadium grew hushed for a profoundly moving memorial prior to the bout as 10 bells rang in remembrance of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who passed away at age 46 in September.

It was the premier televised fight night in the urban center since the passing of Hatton. As the concluding sound ended, the stillness transitioned to a roar of "there's just one Hatton".

The action within the ring reflected the sentiment. Arthur was floored by a powerful punch flush on the chin in the early round, standing uncertainly to his feet on the referee's count.

But the red-colored shorts of the fighter soon came forward again. Across the ring, Rea - in competitive blue - was marked up soon, heavy swelling forming under his face as the pair traded hard punches.

Rea, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the action rarely dropped over the full distance.

Arthur narrowly won the result with judges scorecards of 114-114, narrow lead and wider gap, but each competitor were determined and courageous, everything their hero the legend represented.