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British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet disappointing debut to his career under fresh promotional backing with a decision win over Zach Parker in Manchester.

The Olympic medal winner's punch output likely gained him a judges' verdict in a close 10-round contest at the Manchester venue.

But Parker found success, delivering effective clean blows in a contest where the styles didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing disrupting the contest.

Two judges had it 96-94 in favor to the winner, with the third a even score.

"It wasn't my best showing but what defines champions? They prevail," the victor commented in the ring as he was faced boos from the spectators.

The British fighter got back to winning after his first professional defeat - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in February - to earn a 20th career victory.

Some ringside observers believed the challenger, 31, merited the decision but the Derbyshire fighter experienced the second loss of his 28-bout professional journey.

The Champion Claims Victory in Uneventful Match

The fighter's advancement has stalled in the past few years through promotional disputes and extended periods of lack of fights.

Earlier forecast as the future of the British fight scene, he now is positioned trying to achieve expectations - maybe in what seems like a ultimate opportunity - under recent support.

He started carefully, with both competitors willing to overcommit in a tentative early stages.

The challenger, whose sole prior loss came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after damaging his hand during the bout, was making just his second bout at light heavyweight.

By the halfway stage, the underdog had kept it close, creating difficulties for Buatsi, who utilized a protective stance to barely take the more effective stanzas.

The spectators' acceptance decreased during regular grabbing, with Parker falling to the floor multiple occasions during close exchanges.

The underdog ended stronger, but several stanzas were hard to judge. Nevertheless, ex-champion the boxing analyst - working with the broadcast network - had it significantly in favor for Parker, giving Buatsi just only one stanza.

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

Hatton Memorial Fuels Local Rivalry Fight

In the secondary fight, Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by split-decision in a excellent all-Manchester contest to secure the European light heavyweight championship.

The stadium became quiet for a deeply poignant memorial ahead of the contest as 10 bells rang in memory of local hero Ricky Hatton, who passed away at age 46 in last month.

It was the initial significant broadcast fight night in the location since Hatton's death. As the last bell disappeared, the quiet gave way to a roar of "only one Hatton".

The action during the bout matched the sentiment. Arthur was knocked down by a left hook squarely on the chin in the early round, standing uncertainly to his feet on the referee's count.

But the red-colored equipment of the fighter soon came forward again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in opposing blue - was damaged quickly, heavy swelling forming under his face as the fighters landed hard punches.

The challenger, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but the champion, 34, fought fire with fire with powerful upward punches as the intensity hardly diminished over the full distance.

The victor edged the verdict with official scores of 114-114, close margin and clearer margin, but both fighters were persistent and courageous, all the qualities their inspiration the legend embodied.