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British light-heavyweight Buatsi secured a victory yet disappointing beginning to his career under recent management with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.

The Olympic medal winner's work rate appeared to earn him a majority decision in a competitive 10-round fight at the Manchester venue.

But the challenger had his moments, landing some telling individual punches in a fight where the approaches failed to mesh, with excessive holding disrupting the action.

Two judges scored it 96-94 in favor to the winner, with the remaining official a 95-95 draw.

"It wasn't my best showing but what do champions do? They succeed," the victor stated in the ring as he was greeted with disapproval from the spectators.

The Londoner got back to winning after his maiden career setback - an epic battle with his previous opponent in February - to earn a 20th career victory.

Some ringside observers felt Parker, 31, should have been awarded the decision but the British boxer suffered the second defeat of his 28-bout professional journey.

Buatsi Secures Win in Uneventful Encounter

The fighter's advancement has stalled in the past few years through management issues and considerable time of inactivity.

Once tipped as the future of British boxing, he now stands trying to achieve expectations - perhaps in what feels like a final roll of the dice - under fresh management.

He opened tentatively, with neither fighter prepared to overcommit in a cagey early stages.

Parker, whose sole prior loss came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in 2022 after damaging his hand in the contest, was making just his second fight at light-heavyweight.

By the middle rounds, the underdog had made it competitive, causing problems for the favorite, who operated with a tight guard to barely take the cleaner rounds.

The spectators' acceptance diminished during constant clinching, with the challenger falling to the floor various instances during close exchanges.

The underdog ended stronger, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. Nevertheless, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - commentating on Dazn - had it particularly wide for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just a single round.

The victor moves on, but with the caliber of power puncher Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Bivol leading the category, the journey to titles - on this evidence - still seems difficult.

Hatton Memorial Fuels All-Manchester Fight

In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by divided decision in a outstanding all-Manchester contest to capture the European light-heavyweight championship.

The arena became quiet for a profoundly moving memorial before the fight as a bell ceremony rang in memory of local hero Hatton, who succumbed 46 years old in last month.

It was the first major televised boxing event in the city since the passing of Hatton. As the last bell faded, the silence became a roar of "there's only one Hatton".

The action within the ring equaled the feeling. Arthur was knocked down by a significant blow squarely on the chin in the initial stage, getting up unsteadily to his position on the eight count.

But the Manchester United-red equipment of Arthur soon advanced again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in rival City blue - was injured early, heavy swelling forming under his face as the duo landed punishing blows.

The challenger, 27, connected with strong blows but the champion, thirty-four, responded in kind with stinging uppercuts as the pace hardly diminished over twelve rounds.

The victor narrowly won the verdict with judges scorecards of even score, narrow lead and 115-112, but each competitor were persistent and full of heart, all the qualities their idol Hatton represented.