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UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet disappointing beginning to life under recent management with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.

The Olympic bronze medallist's work rate seemingly secured him a majority decision in a competitive 10-round contest at the Manchester venue.

But Parker landed significant shots, landing some telling individual punches in a match where the styles failed to mesh, with excessive holding disrupting the contest.

The officials had it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the remaining official a 95-95.

"It wasn't my greatest display but what defines champions? They win," Buatsi commented in the ring as he was greeted with negative reactions from the crowd.

The British fighter bounced back after his initial pro loss - an memorable fight with his previous opponent in February - to claim a twentieth professional win.

Various analysts thought the challenger, thirty-one, merited the victory but the British boxer endured the second defeat of his 28-bout professional journey.

The Champion Secures Triumph in Dull Affair

His career development has slowed in recent years through contract problems and long spells of inactivity.

Once tipped as the future of UK boxing, he now stands trying to realize his potential - maybe in what seems like a last chance - under recent support.

He started carefully, with neither fighter willing to take risks in a tentative initial rounds.

The challenger, whose sole prior loss came at super middleweight against his former opponent in two years ago after suffering a hand injury mid-fight, was making just his second fight at light heavyweight.

By the halfway stage, Parker had kept it close, creating difficulties for Buatsi, who worked behind a solid defense to narrowly win the better rounds.

The spectators' acceptance diminished amid constant clinching, with Parker going down various instances during close exchanges.

Parker ended stronger, but several stanzas were difficult to score. Although, ex-champion the boxing analyst - providing analysis for Dazn - had it particularly wide for the challenger, awarding Buatsi just only one stanza.

The victor moves on, but with the presence of power puncher David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the path to championship success - on this evidence - still looks steep.

Ricky Hatton Memorial Fuels Local Rivalry Contest

In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur overcame Rea by close verdict in a excellent all-Manchester fight to capture the continental belt.

The stadium grew hushed for a profoundly moving memorial prior to the bout as 10 bells sounded in memory of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who succumbed 46 years old in September.

It was the initial significant broadcast match card in the urban center since the passing of Hatton. As the concluding sound disappeared, the quiet became a chant of "only one Ricky Hatton".

The competition during the bout matched the feeling. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a left hook flush on the face in the initial stage, rising shakily to his position on the count of eight.

But the traditional red shorts of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in competitive blue - was damaged soon, heavy swelling developing under his face as the fighters exchanged hard punches.

The challenger, 27, delivered effective strikes but the champion, thirty-four, matched the intensity with powerful upward punches as the pace rarely dropped over twelve rounds.

Arthur edged the verdict with scoring tallies of even score, close margin and 115-112, but the two athletes were persistent and full of heart, exactly what their inspiration the legend embodied.