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British light heavyweight Buatsi earned a win yet underwhelming debut to life under recent management with a unanimous decision over Parker in the Manchester arena.

The Olympic medal winner's work rate seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a competitive ten-round fight at the boxing arena.

But Parker found success, connecting with powerful single shots in a contest where the approaches failed to mesh, with excessive holding marring the contest.

Two judges had it 96-94 for to the winner, with the remaining official a 95-95 draw.

"It wasn't my best showing but what do champions do? They win," the victor said in the arena as he was faced boos from the crowd.

The Londoner got back to winning after his maiden career setback - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a twentieth professional win.

Several boxing experts thought the challenger, 31, deserved the decision but the contender suffered the second loss of his 28-bout career.

The Champion Secures Triumph in Dull Affair

The fighter's advancement has plateaued in recent times through contract problems and extended periods of inactivity.

Previously predicted as the rising talent of the British fight scene, he now is positioned trying to fulfil that early promise - perhaps in what feels like a ultimate opportunity - under new promotional backing.

He started carefully, with the two boxers willing to overcommit in a cagey initial rounds.

Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in two years ago after damaging his hand during the bout, was competing in only his second appearance at light-heavyweight.

By the halfway stage, the underdog had kept it close, making life awkward for the favorite, who utilized a solid defense to edge the more effective rounds.

The crowd's patience diminished during constant clinching, with the challenger slipping to the canvas various instances during grappling.

Parker finished the stronger, but many rounds were hard to judge. Nevertheless, ex-champion Carl Frampton - working with Dazn - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just only one stanza.

The victor moves on, but with the presence of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the road to world glory - judging by this showing - still looks steep.

Hatton Tribute Motivates Manchester Derby Fight

In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur defeated Rea by close verdict in a excellent Manchester vs Manchester fight to secure the European light heavyweight title.

The stadium fell silent for a extremely emotional memorial before the fight as ten bells tolled in honor of local hero Ricky Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in recently.

It was the premier televised fight night in the urban center since Hatton's death. As the last bell ended, the stillness became a shout of "only one Hatton".

The fighting inside the ropes matched the feeling. Arthur was knocked down by a powerful punch flush on the face in the early round, rising shakily to his feet on the count of eight.

But the traditional red equipment of Arthur soon came forward again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in competitive blue - was injured soon, significant bruising forming under his face as the fighters landed punishing blows.

Rea, 27, connected with strong blows but the champion, thirty-four, responded in kind with effective uppercuts as the pace hardly diminished over 12 rounds.

The victor narrowly won the result with official scores of draw, narrow lead and clearer margin, but the two athletes were relentless and full of heart, exactly what their hero the legend embodied.