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British light heavyweight Buatsi earned a win yet underwhelming start to life under fresh promotional backing with a decision win over Parker in the Manchester arena.

The Olympic medal winner's activity level seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a competitive ten-round fight at the boxing arena.

But Parker landed significant shots, landing some telling single shots in a contest where the techniques never quite clicked, with constant grabbing marring the contest.

Two judges scored it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the remaining official a 95-95 draw.

"It wasn't my finest showing but what do champions do? They win," the victor said in the ringside as he was met by negative reactions from the spectators.

The British fighter bounced back after his first professional defeat - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in last winter - to earn a twentieth professional win.

Some ringside observers thought Parker, 31, merited the win but the Derbyshire fighter endured the second defeat of his 28-fight career.

Buatsi Claims Win in Uneventful Affair

The fighter's advancement has plateaued in the past few years through promotional disputes and extended periods of inactivity.

Previously predicted as the future of British boxing, he now is positioned trying to realize his potential - maybe in what appears to be a ultimate opportunity - under fresh management.

He opened tentatively, with neither fighter willing to take risks in a tentative opening few rounds.

Parker, whose only previous defeat came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in two years ago after breaking his hand in the contest, was competing in only his second fight at light-heavyweight.

By the fight's midpoint, Parker had stayed in contention, causing problems for the favorite, who worked behind a solid defense to narrowly win the better rounds.

The crowd's patience diminished during constant clinching, with Parker going down several times during grappling.

The underdog closed well, but multiple periods were difficult to score. Although, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - working with the broadcast network - had it significantly in favor for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just a single round.

Buatsi moves on, but with the likes of power puncher Benavidez, and Russian champion Bivol leading the category, the path to championship success - on this evidence - still seems difficult.

Ricky Hatton Memorial Motivates Manchester Derby Battle

In the secondary fight, Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by split-decision in a terrific Manchester vs Manchester contest to secure the European light heavyweight championship.

The arena fell silent for a extremely emotional memorial ahead of the contest as ten bells tolled in memory of the city's native Ricky Hatton, who succumbed 46 years old in September.

It was the first major televised fight night in the urban center since Hatton's passing. As the concluding sound ended, the silence transitioned to a shout of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".

The competition during the bout reflected the sentiment. The eventual winner was knocked down by a powerful punch flush on the chin in the early round, standing uncertainly to his position on the referee's count.

But the red-colored equipment of the fighter soon came forward again. Across the ring, Rea - in competitive blue - was injured soon, noticeable damage forming under his eye as the pair exchanged hard punches.

Rea, 27, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, 34, responded in kind with effective uppercuts as the intensity rarely dropped over 12 rounds.

Arthur narrowly won the verdict with official scores of draw, narrow lead and clearer margin, but the two athletes were persistent and courageous, exactly what their hero Hatton embodied.