Lackluster Joshua Buatsi Outpoints Parker in Manchester Bout

British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet unimpressive start to his career under recent management with a unanimous decision over Parker in Manchester.

The Olympic medal winner's work rate seemingly secured him a split decision in a close 10-round bout at the boxing arena.

But the challenger found success, connecting with powerful clean blows in a match where the approaches didn't complement each other, with frequent clinching disrupting the contest.

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

"It wasn't my best showing but what do champions do? They succeed," Buatsi stated in the arena as he was faced negative reactions from the spectators.

The British fighter returned to winning ways after his initial pro loss - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in February - to secure a 20th career victory.

Some ringside observers believed Parker, 31, should have been awarded the victory but the British boxer endured the second defeat of his 28-match career.

The Champion Claims Triumph in Slow Encounter

The fighter's advancement has stalled in recent times through management issues and long spells of inactivity.

Once tipped as the rising talent of UK boxing, he now stands trying to fulfil that early promise - possibly in what appears to be a final roll of the dice - under fresh management.

He began cautiously, with the two boxers prepared to be aggressive in a cagey initial rounds.

Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after suffering a hand injury mid-fight, was making just his second fight at light-heavyweight.

By the halfway stage, the underdog had kept it close, creating difficulties for Buatsi, who worked behind a protective stance to narrowly win the cleaner rounds.

The spectators' acceptance wore thin because of regular grabbing, with Parker going down several times during grappling.

The underdog ended stronger, but multiple periods were hard to judge. However, previous titleholder Carl Frampton - working with Dazn - had it strongly leaning for Parker, giving Buatsi just a single round.

The victor advances, but with the presence of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol ruling the division, the road to world glory - on this evidence - still appears challenging.

Ricky Hatton Memorial Fuels All-Manchester Battle

In the supporting bout, Arthur defeated Rea by split-decision in a terrific all-Manchester battle to capture the European light heavyweight title.

The arena became quiet for a deeply poignant memorial ahead of the contest as ten bells sounded in remembrance of the city's native Hatton, who passed away 46 years old in last month.

It was the first major televised match card in the urban center since Hatton's death. As the last bell faded, the stillness transitioned to a shout of "only one Ricky Hatton".

The fighting within the ring reflected the emotion. The eventual winner was knocked down by a significant blow flush on the jaw in the initial stage, standing uncertainly to his feet on the referee's count.

But the red-colored attire of Arthur soon came forward again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in competitive blue - was marked up early, significant bruising forming under his orbital area as the pair landed hard punches.

Rea, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but the champion, 34, matched the intensity with effective uppercuts as the action rarely dropped over the full distance.

The victor narrowly won the decision with judges scorecards of 114-114, 115-113 and wider gap, but each competitor were persistent and brave, exactly what their hero Hatton represented.