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UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet underwhelming debut to life under fresh promotional backing with a points victory over Parker in Manchester.

The Olympic bronze medallist's work rate appeared to earn him a split decision in a close ten-round fight at the Co-op Live Arena.

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

The scoring judges had it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the final judge a 95-95 draw.

"It wasn't my greatest showing but how do champions respond? They succeed," Buatsi stated in the arena as he was met by negative reactions from the spectators.

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

Various analysts thought the challenger, 31, merited the win but the contender endured the second defeat of his 28-match professional journey.

Buatsi Secures Triumph in Dull Encounter

His career development has plateaued in recent times 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 - possibly in what feels like a last chance - under fresh management.

He opened tentatively, with both competitors ready to be aggressive in a tentative opening few rounds.

The challenger, whose single earlier setback came at the lower weight class against John Ryder in 2022 after breaking his hand mid-fight, was participating in his second bout at the higher weight class.

By the middle rounds, Parker had made it competitive, creating difficulties for the favorite, who utilized a solid defense to edge the more effective stanzas.

The crowd's patience diminished during regular grabbing, with the challenger slipping to the canvas multiple occasions during clinches.

The underdog ended stronger, but multiple periods were challenging to assess. Nevertheless, former world champion the boxing analyst - commentating on the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for the challenger, giving Buatsi just one round.

Buatsi advances, but with the caliber of power puncher David Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the path to championship success - based on this performance - still appears challenging.

Ricky Hatton Tribute Motivates All-Manchester Contest

In the co-main event, Arthur defeated Rea by close verdict in a terrific Manchester vs Manchester fight to secure the European light-heavyweight belt.

The venue fell silent for a profoundly moving memorial prior to the bout as a bell ceremony rang in memory of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in September.

It was the premier televised boxing event in the city since Hatton's passing. As the concluding sound disappeared, the silence became a chant of "only one Hatton".

The fighting during the bout reflected the feeling. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a powerful punch flush on the jaw in the second round, getting up unsteadily to his position on the referee's count.

But the red-colored equipment of Arthur soon advanced again. Across the ring, Rea - in rival City blue - was marked up soon, heavy swelling appearing under his eye as the duo traded powerful shots.

Rea, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but the champion, thirty-four, responded in kind with effective uppercuts as the pace rarely dropped over twelve rounds.

The victor narrowly won the result with official scores of 114-114, close margin and wider gap, but both fighters were determined and courageous, all the qualities their inspiration the legend embodied.