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British light heavyweight Buatsi made a winning yet underwhelming beginning to his career under fresh promotional backing with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in Manchester.

The Olympic bronze medallist's work rate seemingly secured him a split decision in a tight 10-round bout at the boxing arena.

But Parker found success, connecting with powerful clean blows in a contest where the approaches didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing spoiling the action.

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

"It wasn't my finest performance but how do champions respond? They prevail," the victor stated in the arena as he was greeted with boos from the audience.

The Londoner bounced back after his first professional defeat - an epic battle with his previous opponent in last winter - to claim a 20th pro success.

Various analysts thought Parker, thirty-one, deserved the win but the contender suffered the second loss of his 28-bout professional journey.

The Champion Secures Victory in Slow Match

His career development has plateaued in recent times through contract problems and long spells of lack of fights.

Once tipped as the rising talent of UK boxing, he now stands trying to realize his potential - possibly in what appears to be a ultimate opportunity - under new promotional backing.

He opened tentatively, with the two boxers willing to overcommit in a calculated opening few rounds.

The challenger, whose sole prior loss came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in 2022 after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was making just his second bout at the higher weight class.

By the halfway stage, Parker had kept it close, causing problems for the favorite, who worked behind a tight guard to barely take the better stanzas.

The audience's tolerance diminished during regular grabbing, with the challenger falling to the floor multiple occasions during close exchanges.

The underdog closed well, but many rounds were challenging to assess. Nevertheless, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - providing analysis for Dazn - had it particularly wide for Parker, awarding Buatsi just a single round.

The victor progresses, but with the presence of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Russian champion Bivol dominating the weight class, the road to world glory - on this evidence - still looks steep.

Ricky Hatton Tribute Inspires Local Rivalry Contest

In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by divided decision in a terrific Manchester vs Manchester battle to win the European light heavyweight championship.

The stadium fell silent for a deeply poignant tribute prior to the bout as 10 bells sounded in honor of the city's native Ricky Hatton, who passed away at age 46 in September.

It was the premier televised fight night in the city since the passing of Hatton. As the final chime faded, the silence became a shout of "only one Ricky Hatton".

The action during the bout matched the feeling. Arthur was knocked down by a significant blow squarely on the chin in the initial stage, getting up unsteadily to his footing on the count of eight.

But the Manchester United-red equipment of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. From the other corner, Rea - in opposing blue - was damaged early, heavy swelling forming under his eye as the pair traded powerful shots.

Rea, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but the champion, 34, fought fire with fire with stinging uppercuts as the intensity hardly diminished over the full distance.

Arthur edged the result with official scores of even score, narrow lead and 115-112, but each competitor were persistent and courageous, exactly what their idol the legend stood for.