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UK light heavyweight Buatsi secured a victory yet disappointing debut to his career under fresh promotional backing with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in Manchester.

The Olympic bronze medallist's work rate appeared to earn him a majority decision in a tight ten-round bout at the Manchester venue.

But Parker found success, connecting with powerful single shots in a contest where the styles never quite clicked, with excessive holding spoiling the action.

The scoring judges judged it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the remaining official a 95-95 draw.

"It wasn't my greatest performance but what do champions do? They succeed," the victor said in the ringside as he was met by disapproval from the crowd.

The Londoner bounced back after his first professional defeat - an epic battle with his previous opponent in February - to secure a twentieth professional win.

Some ringside observers believed the challenger, thirty-one, should have been awarded the decision but the British boxer endured the second setback of his 28-fight professional journey.

Buatsi Claims Victory in Dull Affair

Buatsi's progress has plateaued in the past few years through promotional disputes and considerable time of inactivity.

Once tipped as the next star of British boxing, he now stands trying to fulfil that early promise - perhaps in what feels like a ultimate opportunity - under new promotional backing.

He opened tentatively, with neither fighter ready to take risks in a tentative opening few rounds.

Parker, whose only previous defeat came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after breaking his hand mid-fight, 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 tight guard to narrowly win the cleaner stanzas.

The crowd's patience wore thin because of frequent holding, with the challenger slipping to the canvas various instances during clinches.

The underdog closed well, but several stanzas were hard to judge. Nevertheless, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - commentating on Dazn - had it strongly leaning for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just a single round.

Buatsi progresses, but with the caliber of power puncher David Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol leading the category, the road to world glory - on this evidence - still looks steep.

Hatton Homage Fuels Local Rivalry Battle

In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by close verdict in a terrific Manchester vs Manchester battle to win the European light-heavyweight championship.

The venue fell silent for a extremely emotional memorial ahead of the contest as ten bells tolled in memory of local hero Hatton, who died 46 years old in last month.

It was the first major televised match card in the urban center since Hatton's death. As the last bell disappeared, the stillness transitioned to a shout of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".

The fighting during the bout matched the feeling. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a powerful punch flush on the jaw in the early round, rising shakily to his feet on the count of eight.

But the red-colored attire of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in rival City blue - was damaged early, significant bruising forming under his orbital area as the fighters traded hard punches.

Rea, 27, delivered effective strikes but the champion, thirty-four, responded in kind with stinging uppercuts as the intensity hardly diminished over 12 rounds.

The victor barely secured the verdict with scoring tallies of 114-114, narrow lead and clearer margin, but each competitor were persistent and full of heart, everything their inspiration Hatton embodied.