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British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet underwhelming debut to his career under recent management with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.

The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level seemingly secured him a majority decision in a tight ten-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.

But the challenger had his moments, landing some telling clean blows in a match where the styles never quite clicked, with frequent clinching spoiling the fight.

The scoring judges had it 96-94 to the winner, with the third a 95-95 draw.

"It wasn't my finest display but how do champions respond? They prevail," the victor said in the ringside as he was met by boos from the spectators.

The Londoner bounced back after his maiden career setback - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in last winter - to claim a twentieth professional win.

Several boxing experts thought Parker, 31, merited the win but the British boxer experienced the second loss of his 28-fight professional journey.

The Champion Earns Victory in Dull Encounter

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

Earlier forecast as the next star of the British fight scene, he now is positioned trying to realize his potential - perhaps in what feels like a final roll of the dice - under new promotional backing.

He began cautiously, with both competitors willing to take risks in a calculated early stages.

Parker, whose single earlier setback came at super middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after breaking his hand mid-fight, was competing in only his second appearance at light-heavyweight.

By the fight's midpoint, Parker had made it competitive, making life awkward for Buatsi, who utilized a tight guard to edge the better stanzas.

The audience's tolerance diminished amid regular grabbing, with Parker slipping to the canvas multiple occasions during clinches.

Parker finished the stronger, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. Although, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - providing analysis for Dazn - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, giving Buatsi just only one stanza.

The victor moves on, but with the presence of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Russian champion Bivol leading the category, the journey to titles - judging by this showing - still looks steep.

Ricky Hatton Memorial Inspires Local Rivalry Battle

In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by divided decision in a outstanding local rivalry contest to win the European light heavyweight title.

The arena fell silent for a extremely emotional tribute prior to the bout as ten bells tolled in remembrance of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who succumbed at age 46 in recently.

It was the first major televised match card in the location since the passing of Hatton. As the last bell disappeared, the stillness transitioned to a shout of "there's only one Hatton".

The competition inside the ropes reflected the sentiment. Arthur was floored by a left hook directly to the face in the second round, standing uncertainly to his position on the eight count.

But the Manchester United-red shorts of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, Rea - in opposing blue - was damaged quickly, noticeable damage developing under his orbital area as the duo landed powerful shots.

The challenger, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but the champion, thirty-four, matched the intensity with stinging uppercuts as the intensity hardly diminished over 12 rounds.

Arthur barely secured the decision with scoring tallies of draw, 115-113 and 115-112, but both fighters were determined and brave, exactly what their inspiration the legend embodied.