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UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming debut to life under fresh promotional backing with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.

The Olympic bronze medallist's punch output likely gained him a split decision in a close 10-round contest at the Manchester venue.

But Parker landed significant shots, delivering effective single shots in a match where the techniques failed to mesh, with frequent clinching spoiling the fight.

The scoring judges scored it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the third a even score.

"It wasn't my greatest display but how do champions respond? They win," Buatsi stated in the ringside as he was met by boos from the audience.

The Londoner bounced back after his maiden career setback - an epic battle with his previous opponent in last winter - to claim a 20th pro success.

Various analysts thought the challenger, 31, deserved the victory but the Derbyshire fighter experienced the second setback of his 28-fight professional journey.

Buatsi Secures Victory in Dull Match

Buatsi's progress has stalled in recent times through contract problems and long spells of inactivity.

Previously predicted as the future of UK boxing, he now stands trying to achieve expectations - possibly in what seems like a final roll of the dice - under fresh management.

He opened tentatively, with the two boxers willing to take risks in a cagey opening few rounds.

The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at super middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after suffering a hand injury mid-fight, was making just his second bout at light-heavyweight.

By the middle rounds, the underdog had stayed in contention, causing problems for Buatsi, who utilized a protective stance to barely take the better rounds.

The crowd's patience decreased because of constant clinching, with the challenger falling to the floor various instances during grappling.

The underdog closed well, but several stanzas were hard to judge. Nevertheless, ex-champion Carl Frampton - working with Dazn - had it significantly in favor for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just a single round.

Buatsi progresses, but with the caliber of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - based on this performance - still seems difficult.

Ricky Hatton Homage Fuels Local Rivalry Battle

In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur beat Bradley Rea by close verdict in a terrific local rivalry fight to win the European light heavyweight title.

The venue grew hushed for a profoundly moving memorial prior to the bout as a bell ceremony tolled in remembrance of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who passed away at age 46 in September.

It was the first major televised fight night in the location since Hatton's death. As the last bell ended, the stillness transitioned to a roar of "only one Ricky Hatton".

The fighting within the ring matched the sentiment. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a powerful punch directly to the jaw in the second round, standing uncertainly to his position on the count of eight.

But the red-colored shorts of the fighter soon advanced again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in rival City blue - was injured quickly, significant bruising forming under his orbital area as the duo traded punishing blows.

Rea, 27, connected with strong blows but Arthur, 34, fought fire with fire with powerful upward punches as the intensity hardly diminished over 12 rounds.

Arthur narrowly won the result with scoring tallies of draw, close margin and wider gap, but the two athletes were determined and courageous, everything their inspiration the legend embodied.