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UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet disappointing start to his career under fresh promotional backing with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.

The Olympic bronze medallist's punch output appeared to earn him a majority decision in a competitive ten-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.

But the challenger found success, connecting with powerful individual punches in a contest where the approaches didn't complement each other, with excessive holding disrupting the contest.

The scoring judges had it 96-94 in favor to the winner, with the third a 95-95 draw.

"It wasn't my greatest performance but what do champions do? They win," Buatsi stated in the arena as he was greeted with disapproval from the spectators.

The British fighter got back to winning after his initial pro loss - an memorable fight with his previous opponent in last winter - to earn a twentieth professional win.

Several boxing experts believed Parker, thirty-one, merited the decision but the British boxer endured the second defeat of his 28-match career.

Buatsi Claims Win in Slow Encounter

Buatsi's progress has plateaued in the past few years through promotional disputes and extended periods of inactivity.

Earlier forecast as the rising talent of the British fight scene, he now is positioned trying to realize his potential - possibly in what feels like a ultimate opportunity - under recent support.

He started carefully, with both competitors willing to be aggressive in a cagey opening few rounds.

The challenger, whose single earlier setback came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in two years ago after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was participating in his second fight at light-heavyweight.

By the halfway stage, Parker had kept it close, causing problems for the favorite, who operated with a protective stance to barely take the cleaner periods.

The audience's tolerance diminished during constant clinching, with the challenger falling to the floor various instances during grappling.

The underdog closed well, but multiple periods were challenging to assess. However, ex-champion the boxing analyst - working with Dazn - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just one round.

The victor moves on, but with the presence of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the path to championship success - on this evidence - still seems difficult.

Ricky Hatton Tribute Fuels All-Manchester Battle

In the supporting bout, Arthur defeated Rea by split-decision in a excellent local rivalry fight to capture the continental championship.

The stadium grew hushed for a extremely emotional memorial ahead of the contest as a bell ceremony tolled in memory of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who passed away 46 years old in last month.

It was the first major televised fight night in the location since Hatton's death. As the last bell disappeared, the silence became a shout of "only one Ricky Hatton".

The competition during the bout matched the feeling. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a left hook directly to the face in the early round, getting up unsteadily to his footing on the referee's count.

But the traditional red shorts of the fighter soon advanced again. Across the ring, Rea - in rival City blue - was damaged early, noticeable damage developing under his eye as the pair traded powerful shots.

The challenger, 27, landed power punches but the champion, thirty-four, matched the intensity with effective uppercuts as the intensity hardly diminished over the full distance.

Arthur edged the decision with scoring tallies of draw, close margin and 115-112, but each competitor were determined and full of heart, all the qualities their inspiration Hatton represented.