🔗 Share this article

British light heavyweight Buatsi earned a win yet disappointing debut to his career under recent management with a points victory over Parker in Manchester.

The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level seemingly secured him a split decision in a competitive ten-round fight at the Manchester venue.

But Parker landed significant shots, landing some telling clean blows in a match where the techniques didn't complement each other, with excessive holding marring the fight.

Two judges scored it 96-94 in favor to the winner, with the remaining official a 95-95.

"It wasn't my greatest performance but how do champions respond? They prevail," Buatsi stated in the arena as he was greeted with negative reactions from the crowd.

The Londoner got back to winning after his first professional defeat - an epic battle with his previous opponent in last winter - to claim a 20th career victory.

Several boxing experts believed the challenger, thirty-one, should have been awarded the win but the Derbyshire fighter experienced the second loss of his 28-fight career.

Buatsi Claims Win in Uneventful Match

The fighter's advancement has plateaued in recent years through contract problems and considerable time of lack of fights.

Earlier forecast as the next star of UK boxing, he now stands trying to fulfil that early promise - perhaps in what seems like a final roll of the dice - under recent support.

He started carefully, with both competitors prepared to be aggressive in a cagey early stages.

Parker, whose single earlier setback came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after breaking his hand during the bout, was participating in his second appearance at the higher weight class.

By the halfway stage, Parker had kept it close, causing problems for the favorite, who worked behind a protective stance to edge the better stanzas.

The audience's tolerance wore thin because of constant clinching, with Parker slipping to the canvas various instances during close exchanges.

Parker closed well, but many rounds were hard to judge. Although, previous titleholder Carl Frampton - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for Parker, giving Buatsi just a single round.

Buatsi advances, but with the likes of power puncher Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the path to championship success - based on this performance - still appears challenging.

Ricky Hatton Memorial Motivates Local Rivalry Fight

In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by split-decision in a outstanding local rivalry fight to capture the continental title.

The stadium fell silent for a extremely emotional homage prior to the bout as 10 bells rang in honor of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who succumbed aged 46 in recently.

It was the initial significant broadcast match card in the city since Hatton's death. As the final chime ended, the stillness became a shout of "only one Ricky Hatton".

The action inside the ropes matched the feeling. Arthur was knocked down by a left hook directly to the jaw in the second round, standing uncertainly to his position on the referee's count.

But the Manchester United-red shorts of Arthur soon advanced again. On the opposite side, Rea - in competitive blue - was injured soon, noticeable damage forming under his orbital area as the duo exchanged punishing blows.

Rea, 27, landed power punches but Arthur, thirty-four, responded in kind with stinging uppercuts as the pace rarely dropped over the full distance.

Arthur narrowly won the verdict with judges scorecards of 114-114, 115-113 and wider gap, but the two athletes were relentless and full of heart, all the qualities their inspiration Hatton represented.