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British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet disappointing beginning to life under new promoters with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.

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

But Parker landed significant shots, connecting with powerful single shots in a match where the approaches didn't complement each other, with frequent clinching spoiling the fight.

The scoring judges had it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the remaining official a even score.

"It wasn't my finest showing but what defines champions? They prevail," the victor said in the ringside as he was faced negative reactions from the spectators.

The British fighter bounced back after his maiden career setback - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in last winter - to claim a 20th career victory.

Some ringside observers thought Parker, 31, deserved the victory but the Derbyshire fighter suffered the second loss of his 28-fight professional journey.

Buatsi Secures Triumph in Slow Affair

His career development has plateaued in the past few years through contract problems and long spells of lack of fights.

Previously predicted as the future of British boxing, he now is positioned trying to realize his potential - maybe in what seems like a final roll of the dice - under new promotional backing.

He opened tentatively, with neither fighter prepared to overcommit in a cagey early stages.

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

By the middle rounds, Parker had made it competitive, making life awkward for the favorite, who utilized a tight guard to narrowly win the more effective periods.

The crowd's patience diminished amid regular grabbing, with the challenger slipping to the canvas various instances during grappling.

Parker finished the stronger, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. However, previous titleholder Carl Frampton - commentating on the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for Parker, giving Buatsi just a single round.

The victor moves on, but with the caliber of hard hitter Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol ruling the division, the road to world glory - based on this performance - still appears challenging.

Ricky Hatton Memorial Inspires Manchester Derby Fight

In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by split-decision in a terrific local rivalry fight to win the European light-heavyweight title.

The stadium became quiet for a profoundly moving tribute before the fight as a bell ceremony sounded in remembrance of the city's native Ricky Hatton, who died at age 46 in recently.

It was the first major televised fight night in the urban center since Hatton's passing. As the concluding sound ended, the quiet became a shout of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".

The competition inside the ropes reflected the sentiment. Arthur was floored by a left hook squarely on the chin in the second round, standing uncertainly to his feet on the count of eight.

But the traditional red shorts of Arthur soon came forward again. Across the ring, Rea - in rival City blue - was injured quickly, significant bruising forming under his orbital area as the fighters landed powerful shots.

The challenger, twenty-seven, landed power punches but the champion, 34, matched the intensity with stinging uppercuts as the pace hardly diminished over the full distance.

The victor narrowly won the result with judges scorecards of even score, 115-113 and wider gap, but both fighters were relentless and full of heart, exactly what their idol the legend represented.