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British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet unimpressive beginning to life under recent management with a points victory over Parker in Manchester.

The Olympic medal winner's punch output appeared to earn him a majority decision in a tight ten-round fight at the boxing arena.

But the challenger found success, landing some telling individual punches in a contest where the approaches never quite clicked, with constant grabbing disrupting the fight.

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

"It wasn't my greatest display but what do champions do? They prevail," the victor commented in the ring as he was faced disapproval from the crowd.

The British fighter bounced back after his maiden career setback - an epic battle with Callum Smith in February - to earn a 20th pro success.

Some ringside observers felt the challenger, thirty-one, deserved the win but the British boxer endured the second setback of his 28-match professional journey.

The Champion Claims Victory in Dull Match

Buatsi's progress has stalled in recent years through management issues and long spells of inactivity.

Previously predicted as the next star of British boxing, he now finds himself trying to fulfil that early promise - possibly in what appears to be a last chance - under new promotional backing.

He opened tentatively, with neither fighter ready to be aggressive in a calculated initial rounds.

The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in two years ago after suffering a hand injury in the contest, was participating in his second fight at light heavyweight.

By the halfway stage, Parker had kept it close, making life awkward for the favorite, who worked behind a protective stance to barely take the cleaner stanzas.

The crowd's patience diminished amid frequent holding, with Parker slipping to the canvas multiple occasions during grappling.

Parker ended stronger, but many rounds were difficult to score. Nevertheless, former world champion the boxing analyst - commentating on the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just only one stanza.

The victor advances, but with the caliber of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the journey to titles - on this evidence - still seems difficult.

Hatton Homage Inspires All-Manchester Contest

In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur defeated Rea by divided decision in a excellent Manchester vs Manchester fight to capture the continental belt.

The stadium grew hushed for a deeply poignant homage prior to the bout as a bell ceremony sounded in memory of local hero Hatton, who passed away at age 46 in last month.

It was the premier televised match card in the urban center since Hatton's passing. As the last bell ended, the quiet became a chant of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".

The competition inside the ropes reflected the sentiment. The eventual winner was knocked down by a powerful punch flush on the face in the early round, standing uncertainly to his footing on the count of eight.

But the Manchester United-red equipment of Arthur soon came forward again. Across the ring, Rea - in opposing blue - was injured quickly, noticeable damage forming under his eye as the fighters traded powerful shots.

The challenger, 27, landed power punches but the champion, 34, matched the intensity with powerful upward punches as the intensity rarely dropped over the full distance.

Arthur narrowly won the verdict with scoring tallies of draw, narrow lead and wider gap, but both fighters were persistent and full of heart, exactly what their idol Hatton stood for.