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UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet underwhelming beginning to life under recent management with a decision win over Parker in Manchester.

The Olympic medal winner's work rate appeared to earn him a judges' verdict in a close ten-round bout at the Co-op Live Arena.

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

The scoring judges judged it 96-94 to the winner, with the final judge a 95-95.

"It wasn't my best performance but what do champions do? They prevail," the victor commented in the arena as he was faced boos from the crowd.

The British fighter bounced back after his first professional defeat - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in February - to secure a twentieth professional win.

Some ringside observers thought the challenger, thirty-one, should have been awarded the victory but the contender endured the second defeat of his 28-bout career.

Buatsi Secures Victory in Uneventful Match

The fighter's advancement has stalled in recent times through contract problems and considerable time of inactivity.

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

He opened tentatively, with the two boxers ready to be aggressive in a calculated initial rounds.

Parker, whose only previous defeat came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in 2022 after breaking his hand during the bout, was competing in only his second bout at light-heavyweight.

By the middle rounds, the underdog had made it competitive, causing problems for Buatsi, who utilized a tight guard to barely take the more effective stanzas.

The spectators' acceptance diminished during regular grabbing, with the challenger falling to the floor several times during clinches.

The underdog finished the stronger, but several stanzas were difficult to score. Nevertheless, ex-champion the boxing analyst - commentating on Dazn - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, giving Buatsi just one round.

The victor progresses, but with the likes of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the road to world glory - judging by this showing - still seems difficult.

Ricky Hatton Tribute Fuels Local Rivalry Contest

In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur overcame Rea by close verdict in a excellent all-Manchester battle to capture the continental championship.

The arena grew hushed for a deeply poignant homage ahead of the contest as a bell ceremony rang in memory of Manchester's own Hatton, who succumbed at age 46 in last month.

It was the premier televised match card in the urban center since Hatton's passing. As the final chime disappeared, the silence became a chant of "only one Ricky Hatton".

The competition during the bout reflected the sentiment. The eventual winner was knocked down by a left hook squarely on the face in the initial stage, standing uncertainly to his footing on the eight count.

But the red-colored equipment of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. From the other corner, the opponent - in rival City blue - was marked up soon, significant bruising appearing under his eye as the duo traded punishing blows.

The challenger, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but the champion, 34, matched the intensity with powerful upward punches as the action hardly diminished over the full distance.

The victor edged the verdict with scoring tallies of even score, 115-113 and 115-112, but each competitor were persistent and brave, everything their inspiration the legend represented.