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British light heavyweight Buatsi earned a win yet disappointing debut to his career under fresh promotional backing with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.

The Olympic bronze medallist's work rate seemingly secured him a majority decision in a tight 10-round fight at the Co-op Live Arena.

But Parker found success, landing some telling single shots in a match where the styles never quite clicked, with constant grabbing spoiling the action.

The officials had it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the final judge a even score.

"It wasn't my best display but how do champions respond? They prevail," the victor commented in the ring as he was met by negative reactions from the spectators.

The British fighter got back to winning after his initial pro loss - an memorable fight with his previous opponent in last winter - to claim a twentieth professional win.

Some ringside observers felt Parker, 31, deserved the win but the contender suffered the second loss of his 28-fight career.

Buatsi Secures Triumph in Uneventful Encounter

Buatsi's progress has slowed in the past few years through management issues and extended periods of lack of fights.

Once tipped as the rising talent of British boxing, he now is positioned trying to fulfil that early promise - possibly in what seems like a last chance - under fresh management.

He started carefully, with neither fighter prepared to be aggressive in a cagey early stages.

Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in two years ago after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was making just his second fight at light heavyweight.

By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had stayed in contention, causing problems for Buatsi, who worked behind a protective stance to barely take the more effective stanzas.

The spectators' acceptance diminished amid constant clinching, with the challenger going down several times during clinches.

The underdog ended stronger, but multiple periods were challenging to assess. Nevertheless, previous titleholder Carl Frampton - commentating on the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just a single round.

Buatsi moves on, but with the likes of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol dominating the weight class, the path to championship success - based on this performance - still appears challenging.

Ricky Hatton Homage Motivates All-Manchester Battle

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

The stadium fell silent for a deeply poignant tribute prior to the bout as 10 bells rang in remembrance of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in last month.

It was the premier televised match card in the location since Hatton's passing. As the final chime faded, the silence transitioned to a roar of "only one Hatton".

The action during the bout equaled the feeling. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a powerful punch flush on the jaw in the second round, standing uncertainly to his position on the referee's count.

But the red-colored attire of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. From the other corner, the opponent - in rival City blue - was damaged quickly, significant bruising appearing under his face as the fighters exchanged powerful shots.

The challenger, twenty-seven, landed power punches but the champion, thirty-four, matched the intensity with effective uppercuts as the action hardly diminished over twelve rounds.

Arthur narrowly won the decision with official scores of draw, close margin and clearer margin, but each competitor were determined and full of heart, everything their hero the legend represented.