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British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet unimpressive start to life under fresh promotional backing with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.

The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level appeared to earn him a majority decision in a close ten-round bout at the Manchester venue.

But the challenger had his moments, connecting with powerful single shots in a fight where the techniques didn't complement each other, with frequent clinching disrupting the action.

The scoring judges judged it 96-94 for to the winner, with the third a 95-95 draw.

"It wasn't my greatest showing but what do champions do? They prevail," the victor stated in the arena as he was faced negative reactions from the audience.

The Londoner returned to winning ways after his maiden career setback - an memorable fight with his previous opponent in last winter - to secure a twentieth professional win.

Some ringside observers felt the challenger, thirty-one, should have been awarded the decision but the British boxer endured the second setback of his 28-fight professional journey.

The Champion Claims Victory in Uneventful Match

His career development has stalled in recent times through management issues and extended periods of lack of fights.

Earlier forecast as the future of the British fight scene, he now finds himself trying to achieve expectations - maybe in what appears to be a last chance - 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 John Ryder in two years ago after breaking his hand during the bout, was participating in his second bout at the higher weight class.

By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had made it competitive, creating difficulties for the favorite, who utilized a tight guard to edge the better periods.

The audience's tolerance diminished because of constant clinching, with the challenger slipping to the canvas several times during clinches.

Parker ended stronger, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. However, ex-champion Carl Frampton - providing analysis for Dazn - had it particularly wide for Parker, awarding Buatsi just a single round.

Buatsi moves on, but with the presence of power puncher Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the path to championship success - judging by this showing - still looks steep.

Ricky Hatton Tribute Fuels All-Manchester Contest

In the secondary fight, Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by close verdict in a terrific Manchester vs Manchester battle to capture the European light heavyweight belt.

The venue fell silent for a deeply poignant tribute ahead of the contest as 10 bells tolled in remembrance of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in September.

It was the first major televised boxing event in the city since Hatton's passing. As the final chime faded, the quiet gave way to a shout of "only one Hatton".

The action during the bout equaled the emotion. The eventual winner was knocked down by a significant blow squarely on the chin in the second round, rising shakily to his feet on the eight count.

But the Manchester United-red equipment of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. From the other corner, the opponent - in opposing blue - was marked up early, heavy swelling forming under his face as the fighters landed punishing blows.

Rea, twenty-seven, landed power punches but Arthur, 34, responded in kind with powerful upward punches as the intensity rarely dropped over the full distance.

Arthur edged the verdict with judges scorecards of 114-114, narrow lead and wider gap, but the two athletes were determined and full of heart, all the qualities their idol the legend stood for.