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UK light-heavyweight Buatsi secured a victory yet disappointing debut to life under recent management with a unanimous decision over Parker in the Manchester arena.

The Olympic medal winner's work rate appeared to earn him a majority decision in a tight ten-round contest at the Manchester venue.

But Parker found success, delivering effective single shots in a fight where the approaches didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing disrupting the action.

The officials had it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the remaining official a even score.

"It wasn't my best performance but how do champions respond? They succeed," Buatsi stated in the ring as he was greeted with boos from the crowd.

The Londoner bounced back after his first professional defeat - an epic battle with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a twentieth professional win.

Various analysts believed Parker, thirty-one, merited the decision but the British boxer experienced the second setback of his 28-fight professional journey.

The Champion Claims Triumph in Dull Encounter

Buatsi's progress has slowed in recent times through promotional disputes and considerable time of inactivity.

Earlier forecast as the future of the British fight scene, he now stands trying to realize his potential - perhaps in what feels like a ultimate opportunity - under new promotional backing.

He began cautiously, with neither fighter willing to take risks in a cagey opening few rounds.

The challenger, whose sole prior loss came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in two years ago after damaging his hand in the contest, was participating in his second fight at the higher weight class.

By the fight's midpoint, Parker had made it competitive, causing problems for the favorite, who operated with a protective stance to narrowly win the cleaner periods.

The spectators' acceptance decreased during regular grabbing, with the challenger going down various instances during clinches.

Parker closed well, but several stanzas were hard to judge. Nevertheless, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - providing analysis for Dazn - had it particularly wide for Parker, giving Buatsi just only one stanza.

The victor progresses, but with the caliber of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Bivol leading the category, the road to world glory - judging by this showing - still looks steep.

Hatton Homage Inspires Manchester Derby Battle

In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by close verdict in a excellent local rivalry contest to win the European light heavyweight title.

The arena became quiet for a deeply poignant tribute prior to the bout as 10 bells tolled in honor of Manchester's own Hatton, who succumbed at age 46 in September.

It was the initial significant broadcast match card in the urban center since Hatton's death. As the concluding sound disappeared, the silence became a roar of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".

The fighting during the bout reflected the emotion. The eventual winner was knocked down by a significant blow squarely on the jaw in the initial stage, rising shakily to his feet on the referee's count.

But the traditional red attire of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in competitive blue - was damaged early, significant bruising developing under his orbital area as the pair exchanged hard punches.

Rea, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, thirty-four, responded in kind with stinging uppercuts as the intensity hardly diminished over 12 rounds.

The victor edged the result with scoring tallies of 114-114, close margin and wider gap, but both fighters were persistent and courageous, all the qualities their inspiration the legend embodied.