🔗 Share this article

British light heavyweight Buatsi made a winning yet unimpressive debut to life under fresh promotional backing with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.

The Olympic medal winner's activity level seemingly secured him a majority decision in a close ten-round contest at the boxing arena.

But the challenger landed significant shots, landing some telling individual punches in a match where the styles failed to mesh, with excessive holding spoiling the fight.

Two judges scored it 96-94 in favor to the winner, with the final judge a 95-95.

"It wasn't my greatest performance but what defines champions? They prevail," the victor commented in the ring as he was greeted with disapproval from the spectators.

The British fighter got back to winning after his initial pro loss - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in February - to secure a 20th career victory.

Various analysts believed Parker, 31, merited the win but the Derbyshire fighter endured the second setback of his 28-fight career.

The Champion Claims Victory in Dull Match

Buatsi's progress has slowed in recent years through management issues and considerable time of inactivity.

Previously predicted as the next star of British boxing, he now is positioned trying to achieve expectations - possibly in what seems like a last chance - under new promotional backing.

He began cautiously, with neither fighter ready to overcommit in a calculated early stages.

The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at super middleweight against his former opponent in two years ago after breaking his hand in the contest, was competing in only his second fight at light-heavyweight.

By the middle rounds, Parker had made it competitive, causing problems for Buatsi, who utilized a tight guard to edge the better stanzas.

The crowd's patience diminished amid frequent holding, with Parker going down several times during close exchanges.

Parker ended stronger, but multiple periods were difficult to score. Nevertheless, ex-champion Carl Frampton - working with the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just one round.

Buatsi progresses, but with the likes of power puncher David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - on this evidence - still appears challenging.

Hatton Memorial Fuels All-Manchester Contest

In the co-main event, Arthur beat Rea by divided decision in a excellent all-Manchester fight to win the European light heavyweight belt.

The venue fell silent for a extremely emotional tribute ahead of the contest as 10 bells rang in honor of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who died 46 years old in September.

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

The competition during the bout matched the emotion. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a significant blow directly to the face in the early round, rising shakily to his position on the referee's count.

But the Manchester United-red attire of the fighter soon advanced again. On the opposite side, Rea - in competitive blue - was injured quickly, noticeable damage forming under his orbital area as the fighters exchanged powerful shots.

Rea, 27, delivered effective strikes but the champion, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with powerful upward punches as the intensity seldom decreased over the full distance.

The victor narrowly won the result with official scores of draw, 115-113 and clearer margin, but each competitor were persistent and full of heart, all the qualities their inspiration the legend stood for.