British light heavyweight Buatsi secured a victory yet unimpressive debut to life under new promoters with a decision win over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic bronze medallist's punch output likely gained him a judges' verdict in a tight 10-round fight at the Co-op Live Arena.
But Parker found success, connecting with powerful individual punches in a fight where the approaches didn't complement each other, with excessive holding disrupting the contest.
The officials judged it 96-94 to the winner, with the remaining official a even score.
"It wasn't my best showing but what defines champions? They win," the victor stated in the ringside as he was faced boos from the crowd.
The British fighter bounced back after his maiden career setback - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a 20th career victory.
Various analysts believed the challenger, thirty-one, merited the victory but the British boxer suffered the second loss of his 28-match career.
The Champion Claims Triumph in Uneventful Match
Buatsi's progress has stalled in recent years through management issues and extended periods of inactivity.
Once tipped as the rising talent of British boxing, he now stands trying to realize his potential - maybe in what feels like a last chance - under new promotional backing.
He started carefully, with the two boxers prepared to take risks in a calculated opening few rounds.
The challenger, whose sole prior loss came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after breaking his hand mid-fight, was participating in his second bout at light-heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, Parker had kept it close, making life awkward for the favorite, who operated with a tight guard to barely take the better periods.
The spectators' acceptance diminished during constant clinching, with Parker falling to the floor various instances during close exchanges.
The underdog finished the stronger, but multiple periods were hard to judge. However, former world champion the boxing analyst - commentating on Dazn - had it strongly leaning for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just a single round.
Buatsi moves on, but with the presence of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the road to world glory - based on this performance - still seems difficult.
Ricky Hatton Homage Motivates Manchester Derby Battle
In the supporting bout, Arthur beat Rea by divided decision in a excellent all-Manchester battle to capture the European light-heavyweight championship.
The stadium fell silent for a extremely emotional homage ahead of the contest as 10 bells sounded in remembrance of local hero Hatton, who died 46 years old in last month.
It was the premier televised match card in the urban center since Hatton's passing. As the last bell disappeared, the quiet became a shout of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The action inside the ropes equaled the emotion. Arthur was floored by a powerful punch directly to the jaw in the initial stage, getting up unsteadily to his footing on the referee's count.
But the Manchester United-red equipment of the fighter soon advanced again. Across the ring, the opponent - in opposing blue - was injured quickly, significant bruising developing under his eye as the pair exchanged powerful shots.
The challenger, twenty-seven, landed power punches but Arthur, 34, matched the intensity with powerful upward punches as the action hardly diminished over twelve rounds.
The victor edged the result with judges scorecards of 114-114, 115-113 and wider gap, but the two athletes were relentless and full of heart, all the qualities their idol the legend represented.
