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UK light-heavyweight Buatsi secured a victory yet disappointing beginning to life under recent management with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.

The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level seemingly secured him a majority decision in a competitive 10-round contest at the boxing arena.

But the challenger landed significant shots, landing some telling individual punches in a match where the styles never quite clicked, with frequent clinching disrupting the fight.

The scoring judges scored it 96-94 in favor to the winner, with the final judge a 95-95.

"It wasn't my greatest display but what do champions do? They succeed," Buatsi said in the ringside as he was greeted with disapproval from the crowd.

The British fighter returned to winning ways after his initial pro loss - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in last winter - to claim a twentieth professional win.

Several boxing experts believed Parker, thirty-one, merited the decision but the Derbyshire fighter suffered the second setback of his 28-fight professional journey.

Buatsi Claims Victory in Dull Match

The fighter's advancement has plateaued in recent years through promotional disputes and considerable time of inactivity.

Earlier forecast as the next star of British boxing, he now is positioned trying to achieve expectations - maybe in what feels like a ultimate opportunity - under new promotional backing.

He started carefully, with the two boxers ready to be aggressive in a calculated opening few rounds.

Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super middleweight against John Ryder in two years ago after damaging his hand mid-fight, was making just his second appearance at light-heavyweight.

By the middle rounds, Parker had made it competitive, causing problems for the favorite, who utilized a tight guard to edge the cleaner periods.

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

Parker finished the stronger, but several stanzas were hard to judge. However, former world champion Carl Frampton - working with Dazn - had it particularly wide for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just only one stanza.

The victor advances, but with the presence of power puncher Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - judging by this showing - still appears challenging.

Hatton Tribute Fuels Local Rivalry Contest

In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by close verdict in a outstanding all-Manchester battle to capture the European light heavyweight title.

The stadium became quiet for a extremely emotional tribute ahead of the contest as 10 bells tolled in memory of the city's native Hatton, who passed away 46 years old in September.

It was the first major televised boxing event in the city since Hatton's death. As the final chime ended, the quiet transitioned to a shout of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".

The competition inside the ropes reflected the emotion. The eventual winner was floored by a powerful punch flush on the face in the second round, getting up unsteadily to his position on the eight count.

But the red-colored equipment of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. Across the ring, the opponent - in rival City blue - was damaged early, heavy swelling appearing under his face as the fighters traded punishing blows.

The challenger, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but the champion, 34, matched the intensity with effective uppercuts as the action seldom decreased over the full distance.

The victor edged the verdict with scoring tallies of even score, 115-113 and wider gap, but both fighters were relentless and brave, everything their inspiration Hatton represented.