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UK light heavyweight Buatsi made a winning yet unimpressive beginning to life under recent management with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.

The Olympic medal winner's activity level likely gained him a judges' verdict in a competitive 10-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.

But the challenger had his moments, delivering effective clean blows in a contest where the approaches failed to mesh, with frequent clinching marring the fight.

The scoring judges judged it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the final judge a even score.

"It wasn't my finest showing but how do champions respond? They win," the victor commented in the arena as he was greeted with boos from the crowd.

The British fighter returned to winning ways after his maiden career setback - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in February - to claim a twentieth professional win.

Various analysts believed Parker, 31, deserved the win but the contender suffered the second defeat of his 28-match career.

Buatsi Earns Victory in Dull Affair

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

Once tipped as the next star of British boxing, he now stands trying to achieve expectations - possibly in what seems like a last chance - under recent support.

He opened tentatively, with the two boxers prepared to be aggressive in a cagey early stages.

Parker, whose single earlier setback came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in two years ago after breaking his hand mid-fight, was competing in only his second fight at light-heavyweight.

By the middle rounds, Parker had stayed in contention, causing problems for the favorite, who worked behind a protective stance to barely take the better stanzas.

The crowd's patience wore thin amid frequent holding, with the challenger slipping to the canvas multiple occasions during close exchanges.

The underdog closed well, but many rounds were challenging to assess. However, previous titleholder Carl Frampton - working with Dazn - had it strongly leaning for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just a single round.

Buatsi progresses, but with the presence of hard hitter Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the path to championship success - on this evidence - still looks steep.

Hatton Tribute Motivates All-Manchester Contest

In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur overcame Rea by close verdict in a outstanding all-Manchester contest to secure the European light-heavyweight belt.

The stadium grew hushed for a extremely emotional homage ahead of the contest as a bell ceremony sounded in honor of local hero Hatton, who succumbed 46 years old in recently.

It was the initial significant broadcast fight night in the urban center since the passing of Hatton. As the concluding sound disappeared, the silence gave way to a shout of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".

The competition within the ring reflected the sentiment. Arthur was knocked down by a significant blow squarely on the face in the second round, rising shakily to his feet on the referee's count.

But the red-colored attire of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. Across the ring, the opponent - in rival City blue - was damaged quickly, heavy swelling developing under his eye as the pair traded hard punches.

The challenger, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with powerful upward punches as the action seldom decreased over the full distance.

Arthur barely secured the result with official scores of even score, narrow lead and wider gap, but each competitor were persistent and full of heart, everything their hero the legend embodied.