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UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming debut to his career under new promoters with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in Manchester.

The Olympic medal winner's activity level likely gained him a split decision in a competitive 10-round bout at the Manchester venue.

But the challenger had his moments, landing some telling individual punches in a fight where the approaches never quite clicked, with constant grabbing spoiling the fight.

The officials judged it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the remaining official a 95-95.

"It wasn't my finest performance but what do champions do? They succeed," Buatsi stated in the ring as he was met by negative reactions from the audience.

The British fighter got back to winning after his initial pro loss - an epic battle with his previous opponent in February - to claim a twentieth professional win.

Several boxing experts believed Parker, thirty-one, merited the decision but the contender endured the second loss of his 28-bout career.

The Champion Claims Triumph in Uneventful Match

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

Previously predicted as the future of the British fight scene, he now stands trying to achieve expectations - maybe in what seems like a final roll of the dice - under fresh management.

He began cautiously, with both competitors willing to be aggressive in a cagey early stages.

Parker, whose single earlier setback came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in 2022 after damaging his hand during the bout, was participating in his second bout at the higher weight class.

By the halfway stage, the underdog had stayed in contention, creating difficulties for the favorite, who worked behind a solid defense to narrowly win the cleaner periods.

The spectators' acceptance wore thin because of regular grabbing, with Parker going down multiple occasions during clinches.

Parker finished the stronger, but multiple periods were hard to judge. Although, ex-champion the boxing analyst - commentating on Dazn - had it particularly wide for the challenger, giving Buatsi just one round.

The victor moves on, but with the likes of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Russian champion Bivol leading the category, the journey to titles - based on this performance - still seems difficult.

Hatton Homage Motivates All-Manchester Battle

In the supporting bout, Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by split-decision in a excellent Manchester vs Manchester fight to secure the European light-heavyweight title.

The venue fell silent for a profoundly moving homage before the fight as a bell ceremony sounded in memory of Manchester's own Hatton, who succumbed at age 46 in last month.

It was the initial significant broadcast match card in the city since the passing of Hatton. As the last bell disappeared, the stillness gave way to a shout of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".

The fighting during the bout equaled the sentiment. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a left hook flush on the face in the early round, rising shakily to his footing on the eight count.

But the red-colored shorts of the fighter soon advanced again. On the opposite side, Rea - in opposing blue - was marked up early, noticeable damage appearing under his eye as the pair traded punishing blows.

The challenger, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the pace hardly diminished over the full distance.

The victor barely secured the verdict with scoring tallies of draw, narrow lead and clearer margin, but the two athletes were determined and full of heart, all the qualities their inspiration Hatton represented.