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

The Olympic bronze medallist's punch output likely gained him a judges' verdict in a tight 10-round bout at the Manchester venue.

But Parker landed significant shots, landing some telling clean blows in a match where the techniques didn't complement each other, with excessive holding disrupting the contest.

The officials had it 96-94 for to the winner, with the third a 95-95.

"It wasn't my greatest performance but what do champions do? They succeed," Buatsi said in the ring as he was greeted with disapproval from the crowd.

The Londoner got back to winning after his first professional defeat - an epic battle with his previous opponent in February - to claim a 20th career victory.

Some ringside observers believed Parker, thirty-one, merited the victory but the contender suffered the second defeat of his 28-match professional journey.

Buatsi Claims Triumph in Slow Encounter

His career development has plateaued in recent times through management issues and considerable time of lack of fights.

Once tipped as the future of UK boxing, he now finds himself trying to achieve expectations - possibly in what seems like a ultimate opportunity - under fresh management.

He opened tentatively, with neither fighter prepared to be aggressive in a cagey opening few rounds.

Parker, whose only previous defeat came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after damaging his hand during the bout, was competing in only his second appearance at the higher weight class.

By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had made it competitive, causing problems for Buatsi, who operated with a tight guard to barely take 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. However, ex-champion Carl Frampton - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for Parker, awarding Buatsi just a single round.

The victor advances, but with the presence of power puncher David Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the road to world glory - based on this performance - still appears challenging.

Ricky Hatton Tribute Motivates All-Manchester Contest

In the supporting bout, Arthur beat Rea by close verdict in a excellent local rivalry contest to win the European light-heavyweight belt.

The venue became quiet for a deeply poignant memorial ahead of the contest as a bell ceremony sounded in remembrance of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who died 46 years old in last month.

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

The fighting during the bout matched the emotion. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a powerful punch flush on the face in the early round, getting up unsteadily to his footing on the count of eight.

But the traditional red equipment of the fighter soon advanced again. Across the ring, Rea - in rival City blue - was marked up quickly, noticeable damage forming under his orbital area as the fighters traded punishing blows.

The challenger, 27, connected with strong blows but the champion, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with powerful upward punches as the action hardly diminished over twelve rounds.

The victor barely secured the result with official scores of even score, 115-113 and clearer margin, but the two athletes were determined and courageous, exactly what their idol Hatton embodied.