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British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet unimpressive start to his career under new promoters with a unanimous decision over Parker in the Manchester arena.

The Olympic bronze medallist's work rate appeared to earn him a split decision in a close 10-round fight at the Co-op Live Arena.

But Parker found success, landing some telling single shots in a contest where the techniques didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing disrupting the fight.

The scoring judges judged it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the final judge a even score.

"It wasn't my greatest display but how do champions respond? They prevail," the victor said in the arena as he was greeted with negative reactions from the spectators.

The Londoner returned to winning ways after his first professional defeat - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in February - to claim a twentieth professional win.

Several boxing experts believed Parker, thirty-one, deserved the win but the contender endured the second loss of his 28-match professional journey.

Buatsi Earns Triumph in Uneventful Encounter

The fighter's advancement has slowed in the past few years through contract problems and considerable time of inactivity.

Previously predicted as the next star of British boxing, he now is positioned trying to fulfil that early promise - maybe in what appears to be a ultimate opportunity - under new promotional backing.

He opened tentatively, with the two boxers ready to overcommit in a cagey opening few rounds.

The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in two years ago after suffering a hand injury in the contest, was competing in only his second fight at light heavyweight.

By the middle rounds, the underdog had stayed in contention, making life awkward for Buatsi, who utilized a solid defense to narrowly win the better rounds.

The crowd's patience wore thin because of constant clinching, with Parker going down multiple occasions during clinches.

The underdog closed well, but multiple periods were hard to judge. However, previous titleholder Carl Frampton - commentating on Dazn - had it significantly in favor for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just a single round.

Buatsi progresses, but with the presence of power puncher David Benavidez, and Russian champion Bivol leading the category, the path to championship success - on this evidence - still looks steep.

Ricky Hatton Memorial Motivates Manchester Derby Fight

In the co-main event, Arthur beat Bradley Rea by divided decision in a excellent local rivalry contest to capture the European light heavyweight title.

The arena grew hushed for a extremely emotional memorial ahead of the contest as a bell ceremony rang in honor of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who succumbed 46 years old in last month.

It was the first major televised fight night in the location since the passing of Hatton. As the last bell ended, the quiet became a roar of "there's only one Hatton".

The competition within the ring equaled the sentiment. Arthur was knocked down by a significant blow flush on the face in the initial stage, rising shakily to his footing on the eight count.

But the traditional red equipment of the fighter soon advanced again. From the other corner, the opponent - in competitive blue - was marked up soon, noticeable damage appearing under his orbital area as the fighters exchanged powerful shots.

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

Arthur edged the result with scoring tallies of even score, close margin and clearer margin, but both fighters were determined and full of heart, everything their idol Hatton embodied.