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

The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level likely gained him a split decision in a close 10-round bout at the Manchester venue.

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

The officials scored it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the third a 95-95 draw.

"It wasn't my greatest performance but what defines champions? They succeed," the victor said in the ringside as he was greeted with negative reactions from the audience.

The British fighter returned to winning ways after his maiden career setback - an epic battle with his previous opponent in February - to claim a 20th career victory.

Various analysts felt the challenger, thirty-one, deserved the win but the contender suffered the second defeat of his 28-bout career.

Buatsi Secures Victory in Uneventful Affair

His career development has stalled in the past few years through promotional disputes and extended periods of inactivity.

Once tipped as the next star of the British fight scene, he now finds himself trying to achieve expectations - possibly in what feels like a final roll of the dice - under recent support.

He began cautiously, with neither fighter ready to be aggressive in a cagey early stages.

Parker, whose single earlier setback came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after damaging his hand in the contest, was participating in his second appearance at light heavyweight.

By the middle rounds, Parker had made it competitive, making life awkward for the favorite, who operated with a tight guard to barely take the more effective periods.

The spectators' acceptance diminished amid regular grabbing, with the challenger slipping to the canvas various instances during close exchanges.

The underdog finished the stronger, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. However, ex-champion the boxing analyst - commentating on the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for the challenger, giving Buatsi just a single round.

The victor progresses, but with the presence of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - based on this performance - still looks steep.

Ricky Hatton Memorial Fuels Local Rivalry Contest

In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur defeated Rea by close verdict in a terrific Manchester vs Manchester contest to win the continental championship.

The stadium grew hushed for a extremely emotional memorial ahead of the contest as 10 bells rang in honor of the city's native Hatton, who succumbed at age 46 in recently.

It was the initial significant broadcast boxing event in the location since Hatton's death. As the final chime disappeared, the silence became a roar of "there's just one Hatton".

The competition inside the ropes reflected the feeling. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a left hook directly to the chin in the second round, standing uncertainly to his footing on the count of eight.

But the Manchester United-red equipment of Arthur soon came forward again. From the other corner, the opponent - in competitive blue - was damaged quickly, noticeable damage developing under his orbital area as the pair traded powerful shots.

The challenger, 27, connected with strong blows but the champion, 34, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the intensity seldom decreased over 12 rounds.

The victor edged the decision with scoring tallies of 114-114, narrow lead and 115-112, but both fighters were relentless and full of heart, all the qualities their idol the legend represented.