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UK light heavyweight Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming start to life under recent management with a points victory over Parker in the Manchester arena.

The Olympic medal winner's work rate appeared to earn him a judges' verdict in a close ten-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.

But the challenger found success, connecting with powerful single shots in a fight where the approaches never quite clicked, with excessive holding marring the action.

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

"It wasn't my finest performance but what do champions do? They win," Buatsi stated in the ringside as he was faced negative reactions from the spectators.

The Londoner got back to winning after his initial pro loss - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a twentieth professional win.

Various analysts thought Parker, 31, merited the win but the Derbyshire fighter experienced the second setback of his 28-fight career.

The Champion Secures Win in Slow Match

Buatsi's progress has plateaued in the past few years through promotional disputes and considerable time of inactivity.

Once tipped as the future of the British fight scene, he now finds himself trying to achieve expectations - perhaps in what appears to be a ultimate opportunity - under fresh management.

He started carefully, with the two boxers ready to overcommit in a calculated early stages.

Parker, whose sole prior loss came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in two years ago after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was participating in his second bout at the higher weight class.

By the middle rounds, the underdog had kept it close, causing problems for Buatsi, who worked behind a solid defense to barely take the better stanzas.

The audience's tolerance decreased because of constant clinching, with the challenger falling to the floor several times during grappling.

The underdog finished the stronger, but multiple periods were difficult to score. However, former world champion Carl Frampton - working with Dazn - had it particularly wide for the challenger, awarding Buatsi just a single round.

Buatsi moves on, but with the presence of hard hitter Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the journey to titles - based on this performance - still appears challenging.

Hatton Memorial Motivates Manchester Derby Fight

In the secondary fight, Arthur beat Bradley Rea by split-decision in a outstanding Manchester vs Manchester battle to win the continental belt.

The stadium fell silent for a profoundly moving homage prior to the bout as a bell ceremony tolled in remembrance of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who succumbed 46 years old in last month.

It was the initial significant broadcast fight night in the location since the passing of Hatton. As the final chime faded, the quiet gave way to a roar of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".

The competition inside the ropes reflected the feeling. Arthur was knocked down by a powerful punch directly to the face in the early round, rising shakily to his position on the referee's count.

But the traditional red attire of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, Rea - in rival City blue - was injured early, significant bruising forming under his orbital area as the pair traded punishing blows.

Rea, twenty-seven, landed power punches but Arthur, 34, matched the intensity with stinging uppercuts as the intensity rarely dropped over 12 rounds.

The victor barely secured the decision with official scores of even score, narrow lead and 115-112, but each competitor were relentless and courageous, all the qualities their idol Hatton embodied.