🔗 Share this article

British light heavyweight Buatsi secured a victory yet disappointing debut to his career under new promoters with a unanimous decision over Parker in the Manchester arena.

The Olympic bronze medallist's work rate likely gained him a judges' verdict in a close 10-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.

But Parker had his moments, delivering effective individual punches in a match where the techniques failed to mesh, with frequent clinching marring the fight.

Two judges judged it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the remaining official a even score.

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

The Londoner bounced back after his initial pro loss - an epic battle with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a 20th career victory.

Various analysts felt the challenger, 31, merited the victory but the contender endured the second defeat of his 28-match career.

The Champion Claims Victory in Slow Encounter

The fighter's advancement has plateaued in recent years through promotional disputes and long spells of inactivity.

Earlier forecast as the next star of British boxing, he now is positioned trying to achieve expectations - maybe in what feels like a final roll of the dice - under new promotional backing.

He began cautiously, with neither fighter prepared to be aggressive in a cagey initial rounds.

The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at the lower weight class against John Ryder in 2022 after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was making just his second appearance at light heavyweight.

By the halfway stage, Parker had made it competitive, creating difficulties for the favorite, who operated with a tight guard to edge the more effective stanzas.

The audience's tolerance decreased amid frequent holding, with the challenger going down various instances during grappling.

The underdog closed well, but many rounds were difficult to score. Although, ex-champion the boxing analyst - working with the broadcast network - had it significantly in favor for the challenger, giving Buatsi just a single round.

The victor moves on, but with the presence of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the journey to titles - on this evidence - still seems difficult.

Hatton Tribute Fuels Manchester Derby Battle

In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur defeated Rea by split-decision in a outstanding local rivalry contest to capture the European light heavyweight title.

The stadium became quiet for a profoundly moving homage ahead of the contest as a bell ceremony tolled in memory of the city's native Ricky Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in recently.

It was the initial significant broadcast match card in the urban center since Hatton's passing. As the concluding sound disappeared, the quiet transitioned to a shout of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".

The competition during the bout reflected the sentiment. The eventual winner was floored by a powerful punch flush on the jaw in the initial stage, getting up unsteadily to his footing on the count of eight.

But the Manchester United-red attire of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. From the other corner, the opponent - in opposing blue - was injured quickly, noticeable damage developing under his eye as the pair landed hard punches.

Rea, 27, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, thirty-four, matched the intensity with powerful upward punches as the pace hardly diminished over 12 rounds.

The victor edged the verdict with official scores of draw, narrow lead and 115-112, but both fighters were persistent and brave, all the qualities their hero the legend represented.