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British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet disappointing start to life under recent management with a points victory over Parker in Manchester.

The Olympic bronze medallist's punch output seemingly secured him a majority decision in a competitive 10-round fight at the boxing arena.

But the challenger had his moments, delivering effective individual punches in a contest where the techniques didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing disrupting the fight.

The scoring judges judged it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the third a 95-95.

"It wasn't my finest performance but what defines champions? They succeed," Buatsi commented in the ring as he was met by boos from the audience.

The British fighter bounced back after his initial pro loss - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in February - to claim a 20th career victory.

Various analysts felt Parker, 31, deserved the win but the contender endured the second setback of his 28-match career.

The Champion Claims Triumph in Dull Encounter

The fighter's advancement has slowed in recent years through management issues and considerable time of inactivity.

Once tipped as the next star of the British fight scene, 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 ready to take risks in a calculated opening few rounds.

Parker, whose only previous defeat came at the lower weight class against John Ryder in 2022 after damaging his hand mid-fight, was making just his second appearance at the higher weight class.

By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had stayed in contention, causing problems for Buatsi, who utilized a protective stance to narrowly win the cleaner periods.

The spectators' acceptance wore thin because of constant clinching, with the challenger going down various instances during grappling.

Parker ended stronger, but several stanzas were hard to judge. Nevertheless, ex-champion the boxing analyst - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just one round.

Buatsi advances, but with the presence of power puncher Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - on this evidence - still appears challenging.

Hatton Memorial Motivates All-Manchester Battle

In the co-main event, Arthur overcame Rea by divided decision in a terrific all-Manchester contest to secure the European light heavyweight championship.

The arena grew hushed for a profoundly moving tribute prior to the bout as a bell ceremony sounded in remembrance of Manchester's own Hatton, who died aged 46 in last month.

It was the premier televised match card in the location since Hatton's death. As the final chime ended, the silence transitioned to a roar of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".

The competition inside the ropes equaled the feeling. The eventual winner was floored by a powerful punch directly to the jaw in the second round, getting up unsteadily to his footing on the eight count.

But the Manchester United-red attire of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in rival City blue - was damaged early, noticeable damage developing under his face as the fighters traded punishing blows.

Rea, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but the champion, thirty-four, matched the intensity with stinging uppercuts as the pace hardly diminished over the full distance.

The victor edged the decision with official scores of even score, narrow lead and wider gap, but the two athletes were relentless and brave, all the qualities their hero the legend stood for.