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British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming beginning to his career under new promoters with a decision win over Parker in Manchester.

The Olympic medal winner's activity level seemingly secured him a split decision in a tight ten-round fight at the boxing arena.

But the challenger found success, connecting with powerful single shots in a fight where the approaches failed to mesh, with frequent clinching spoiling the fight.

The officials judged it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the remaining official a 95-95 draw.

"It wasn't my best performance but what defines champions? They prevail," Buatsi commented in the ringside as he was met by disapproval from the crowd.

The British fighter returned to winning ways after his maiden career setback - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in last winter - to secure a 20th career victory.

Several boxing experts felt Parker, 31, merited the victory but the British boxer suffered the second defeat of his 28-match professional journey.

Buatsi Earns Victory in Dull Match

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

Previously predicted as the future of the British fight scene, he now is positioned trying to realize his potential - maybe in what feels like a final roll of the dice - under fresh management.

He opened tentatively, with the two boxers willing to be aggressive in a cagey early stages.

Parker, whose only previous defeat came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after breaking his hand mid-fight, was competing in only his second appearance at light-heavyweight.

By the halfway stage, Parker had made it competitive, causing problems for the favorite, who utilized a tight guard to narrowly win the better rounds.

The audience's tolerance decreased because of frequent holding, with the challenger falling to the floor multiple occasions during clinches.

The underdog finished the stronger, but several stanzas were difficult to score. Nevertheless, former world champion the boxing analyst - working with Dazn - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, awarding Buatsi just a single round.

Buatsi progresses, but with the caliber of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the road to world glory - based on this performance - still looks steep.

Hatton Memorial Fuels Local Rivalry Fight

In the supporting bout, Arthur defeated Rea by close verdict in a outstanding local rivalry battle to secure the continental title.

The venue became quiet for a profoundly moving memorial before the fight as ten bells sounded in memory of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who died aged 46 in last month.

It was the initial significant broadcast match card in the urban center since the passing of Hatton. As the concluding sound ended, the silence gave way to a chant of "there's just one Hatton".

The action within the ring reflected the emotion. Arthur was knocked down by a left hook flush on the face in the early round, getting up unsteadily to his footing on the referee's count.

But the red-colored attire of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, Rea - in competitive blue - was marked up early, noticeable damage forming under his eye as the fighters traded powerful shots.

The challenger, twenty-seven, landed power punches but the champion, 34, responded in kind with stinging uppercuts as the intensity seldom decreased over twelve rounds.

Arthur edged the decision with official scores of 114-114, narrow lead and wider gap, but the two athletes were determined and full of heart, exactly what their idol the legend represented.