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UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet disappointing start to his career under recent management with a points victory over Parker in Manchester.

The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level likely gained him a majority decision in a close ten-round bout at the boxing arena.

But the challenger had his moments, connecting with powerful clean blows in a match where the styles failed to mesh, with constant grabbing disrupting the fight.

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

"It wasn't my greatest display but what defines champions? They succeed," the victor said in the ring as he was greeted with negative reactions from the spectators.

The Londoner got back to winning after his initial pro loss - an memorable fight with his previous opponent in February - to secure a twentieth professional win.

Various analysts believed the challenger, thirty-one, should have been awarded the victory but the Derbyshire fighter experienced the second setback of his 28-bout professional journey.

Buatsi Secures Victory in Slow Match

Buatsi's progress has stalled in recent years through contract problems and considerable time of inactivity.

Once tipped as the rising talent of UK boxing, he now is positioned trying to fulfil that early promise - possibly in what feels like a ultimate opportunity - under new promotional backing.

He started carefully, with the two boxers prepared to overcommit in a calculated early stages.

Parker, whose only previous defeat came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in two years ago after damaging his hand mid-fight, was making just his second bout at light heavyweight.

By the middle rounds, Parker had kept it close, creating difficulties for Buatsi, who utilized a solid defense to narrowly win the better periods.

The crowd's patience decreased amid constant clinching, with the challenger going down various instances during grappling.

Parker closed well, but many rounds were challenging to assess. Although, ex-champion the boxing analyst - working with the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for the challenger, giving Buatsi just a single round.

Buatsi progresses, but with the likes of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the path to championship success - judging by this showing - still appears challenging.

Ricky Hatton Homage Motivates Local Rivalry Contest

In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur defeated Rea by close verdict in a outstanding Manchester vs Manchester battle to capture the European light-heavyweight title.

The arena grew hushed for a extremely emotional memorial prior to the bout as a bell ceremony tolled in remembrance of Manchester's own Hatton, who died aged 46 in September.

It was the first major televised boxing event in the urban center since the passing of Hatton. As the concluding sound ended, the quiet became a shout of "only one Hatton".

The fighting during the bout matched the emotion. Arthur was floored by a significant blow directly to the face in the early round, rising shakily to his footing on the count of eight.

But the traditional red equipment of Arthur soon came forward again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in competitive blue - was marked up quickly, noticeable damage forming under his orbital area as the fighters traded hard punches.

The challenger, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, thirty-four, responded in kind with effective uppercuts as the intensity seldom decreased over the full distance.

The victor barely secured the decision with official scores of 114-114, 115-113 and wider gap, but each competitor were persistent and courageous, everything their hero Hatton represented.