🔗 Share this article

UK light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet disappointing debut to his career under fresh promotional backing with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.

The Olympic medal winner's work rate likely gained him a judges' verdict in a competitive ten-round fight at the boxing arena.

But Parker found success, connecting with powerful individual punches in a match where the approaches never quite clicked, with frequent clinching spoiling the contest.

Two judges scored it 96-94 to the winner, with the third a 95-95 draw.

"It wasn't my finest performance but what do champions do? They win," Buatsi commented in the ring as he was greeted with negative reactions from the spectators.

The British fighter got back to winning after his maiden career setback - an epic battle with his previous opponent in last winter - to claim a 20th career victory.

Some ringside observers believed Parker, thirty-one, should have been awarded the decision but the contender suffered the second setback of his 28-bout professional journey.

The Champion Secures Victory in Dull Match

His career development has slowed in the past few years through management issues and long spells of lack of fights.

Once tipped as the next star of British boxing, he now finds himself trying to achieve expectations - possibly in what feels like a ultimate opportunity - under fresh management.

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

The challenger, whose single earlier setback came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after damaging his hand during the bout, was making just his second appearance at the higher weight class.

By the halfway stage, Parker had stayed in contention, creating difficulties for the favorite, who operated with a protective stance to narrowly win the more effective stanzas.

The spectators' acceptance wore thin amid constant clinching, with Parker going down multiple occasions during close exchanges.

The underdog ended stronger, but many rounds were hard to judge. Although, ex-champion Carl Frampton - commentating on Dazn - had it particularly wide for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just only one stanza.

The victor moves on, but with the caliber of power puncher David Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol ruling the division, the road to world glory - judging by this showing - still seems difficult.

Hatton Homage Inspires Manchester Derby Contest

In the secondary fight, Arthur beat Bradley Rea by close verdict in a excellent all-Manchester fight to capture the European light-heavyweight championship.

The arena fell silent for a profoundly moving memorial before the fight as 10 bells rang in honor of the city's native Ricky Hatton, who died at age 46 in September.

It was the premier televised boxing event in the location since the passing of Hatton. As the final chime faded, the quiet became a roar of "there's just one Hatton".

The competition within the ring reflected the emotion. The eventual winner was knocked down by a powerful punch flush on the jaw in the second round, rising shakily to his footing on the count of eight.

But the red-colored shorts of the fighter soon advanced again. Across the ring, the opponent - in opposing blue - was marked up quickly, heavy swelling forming under his orbital area as the pair landed hard punches.

Rea, twenty-seven, landed power punches but the champion, thirty-four, responded in kind with stinging uppercuts as the intensity seldom decreased over 12 rounds.

Arthur narrowly won the result with judges scorecards of even score, close margin and clearer margin, but both fighters were persistent and brave, all the qualities their idol the legend embodied.