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British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet disappointing debut to his career under new promoters with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.

The Olympic medal winner's work rate appeared to earn him a judges' verdict in a close 10-round contest at the boxing arena.

But the challenger had his moments, landing some telling single shots in a contest where the approaches didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing disrupting the fight.

The scoring judges judged it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the remaining official a 95-95.

"It wasn't my finest showing but how do champions respond? They win," the victor said in the ring as he was greeted with disapproval from the crowd.

The British fighter got back to winning after his first professional defeat - an epic battle with his previous opponent in February - to claim a twentieth professional win.

Some ringside observers felt the challenger, 31, deserved the win but the Derbyshire fighter experienced the second loss of his 28-fight career.

Buatsi Claims Triumph in Uneventful Affair

Buatsi's progress has plateaued in recent years through contract problems and extended periods of inactivity.

Earlier forecast as the future of UK boxing, he now stands trying to achieve expectations - perhaps in what appears to be a last chance - under new promotional backing.

He began cautiously, with the two boxers prepared to be aggressive in a tentative early stages.

The challenger, whose single earlier setback came at super middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after damaging his hand in the contest, was competing in only his second bout at light heavyweight.

By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had made it competitive, causing problems for the favorite, who utilized a protective stance to barely take the better stanzas.

The spectators' acceptance decreased during constant clinching, with the challenger going down various instances during grappling.

The underdog ended stronger, but many rounds were challenging to assess. Although, former world champion the boxing analyst - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it significantly in favor for the challenger, giving Buatsi just one round.

Buatsi moves on, but with the caliber of power puncher David Benavidez, and Russian champion Bivol leading the category, the journey to titles - on this evidence - still looks steep.

Hatton Tribute Fuels Manchester Derby Fight

In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur beat Bradley Rea by close verdict in a excellent Manchester vs Manchester fight to win the European light heavyweight title.

The stadium fell silent for a profoundly moving memorial before the fight as ten bells tolled in memory of the city's native Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in September.

It was the premier televised match card in the location since Hatton's passing. As the last bell ended, the stillness gave way to a shout of "only one Ricky Hatton".

The action within the ring equaled the emotion. The eventual winner was knocked down by a significant blow directly to the jaw in the early round, rising shakily to his position on the referee's count.

But the traditional red equipment of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, Rea - in competitive blue - was marked up quickly, significant bruising developing under his orbital area as the duo exchanged powerful shots.

Rea, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, 34, responded in kind with stinging uppercuts as the pace seldom decreased over twelve rounds.

Arthur narrowly won the decision with official scores of even score, close margin and 115-112, but both fighters were relentless and full of heart, everything their inspiration Hatton stood for.