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British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet disappointing start to his career under fresh promotional backing with a unanimous decision over Parker in the Manchester arena.

The Olympic medal winner's activity level likely gained him a judges' verdict in a close ten-round fight at the boxing arena.

But Parker landed significant shots, landing some telling single shots in a match where the techniques failed to mesh, with constant grabbing disrupting the fight.

Two judges had it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the third a 95-95 draw.

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

The Londoner bounced back after his initial pro loss - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in last winter - to claim a twentieth professional win.

Several boxing experts believed the challenger, 31, should have been awarded the victory but the contender experienced the second defeat of his 28-match career.

The Champion Earns Win in Dull Encounter

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

Previously predicted as the next star of British boxing, he now finds himself trying to achieve expectations - maybe in what seems like a ultimate opportunity - under fresh management.

He opened tentatively, with the two boxers prepared to overcommit in a tentative early stages.

The challenger, whose sole prior loss came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in 2022 after suffering a hand injury mid-fight, was making just his second fight at light-heavyweight.

By the middle rounds, the underdog had made it competitive, causing problems for the favorite, who operated with a tight guard to edge the cleaner stanzas.

The audience's tolerance decreased during frequent holding, with Parker slipping to the canvas several times during clinches.

Parker finished the stronger, but multiple periods were challenging to assess. However, former world champion the boxing analyst - commentating on the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just only one stanza.

Buatsi moves on, but with the presence of power puncher David Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - judging by this showing - still looks steep.

Hatton Tribute Motivates Manchester Derby Fight

In the secondary fight, Arthur beat Rea by close verdict in a terrific local rivalry battle to capture the European light heavyweight championship.

The venue grew hushed for a deeply poignant homage ahead of the contest as a bell ceremony rang in remembrance of local hero Ricky Hatton, who died 46 years old in September.

It was the initial significant broadcast fight night in the urban center since the passing of Hatton. As the last bell disappeared, the quiet became a shout of "there's just one Hatton".

The competition during the bout equaled the emotion. Arthur was knocked down by a powerful punch directly to the jaw in the early round, getting up unsteadily to his feet on the count of eight.

But the Manchester United-red shorts of Arthur soon came forward again. On the opposite side, Rea - in competitive blue - was damaged quickly, noticeable damage forming under his eye as the duo landed hard punches.

The challenger, 27, connected with strong blows but the champion, 34, matched the intensity with stinging uppercuts as the action seldom decreased over 12 rounds.

Arthur barely secured the decision with scoring tallies of draw, 115-113 and clearer margin, but the two athletes were persistent and courageous, all the qualities their idol the legend stood for.