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British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet disappointing start to life under recent management with a points victory over Parker in the Manchester arena.

The Olympic medal winner's activity level seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a close ten-round fight at the Co-op Live Arena.

But Parker had his moments, delivering effective clean blows in a match where the techniques didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing spoiling the fight.

Two judges scored it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the third a even score.

"It wasn't my finest showing but what defines champions? They succeed," Buatsi commented in the ringside as he was met by disapproval from the audience.

The Londoner bounced back after his initial pro loss - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in February - to claim a twentieth professional win.

Various analysts felt the challenger, 31, should have been awarded the win but the contender suffered the second setback of his 28-fight professional journey.

Buatsi Earns Victory in Uneventful Affair

The fighter's advancement has slowed in the past few years through contract problems and extended periods of inactivity.

Once tipped as the rising talent of UK boxing, he now finds himself trying to achieve expectations - possibly in what seems like a final roll of the dice - under recent support.

He began cautiously, with both competitors willing to take risks in a cagey early stages.

The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at super middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after damaging his hand mid-fight, was making just his second appearance at light heavyweight.

By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had stayed in contention, making life awkward for the favorite, who operated with a protective stance to edge the better periods.

The crowd's patience diminished during constant clinching, with Parker falling to the floor several times during close exchanges.

The underdog closed well, but several stanzas were hard to judge. Although, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - working with the broadcast network - had it significantly in favor for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just only one stanza.

The victor progresses, but with the likes of power puncher Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the path to championship success - on this evidence - still looks steep.

Hatton Memorial Fuels All-Manchester Fight

In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by split-decision in a excellent local rivalry battle to win the European light-heavyweight title.

The arena fell silent for a extremely emotional tribute ahead of the contest as ten bells rang in memory of Manchester's own Hatton, who died aged 46 in last month.

It was the first major televised boxing event in the location since Hatton's death. As the concluding sound ended, the stillness gave way to a shout of "there's only one Hatton".

The action inside the ropes matched the sentiment. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a significant blow directly to the chin in the early round, rising shakily to his position on the count of eight.

But the red-colored shorts of Arthur soon advanced again. From the other corner, Rea - in opposing blue - was marked up soon, heavy swelling appearing under his eye 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 rarely dropped over 12 rounds.

Arthur narrowly won the decision with official scores of draw, narrow lead and 115-112, but both fighters were relentless and full of heart, all the qualities their idol Hatton stood for.