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UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet disappointing beginning to his career under new promoters with a unanimous decision over Parker in Manchester.

The Olympic bronze medallist's work rate likely gained him a judges' verdict in a competitive 10-round bout at the Manchester venue.

But the challenger had his moments, connecting with powerful single shots in a fight where the approaches didn't complement each other, with frequent clinching disrupting the action.

Two judges judged it 96-94 to the winner, with the remaining official a 95-95 draw.

"It wasn't my best display but how do champions respond? They win," the victor commented in the ringside as he was met by boos from the audience.

The British fighter got back to winning after his first professional defeat - an epic battle with his previous opponent in last winter - to secure a twentieth professional win.

Some ringside observers felt Parker, thirty-one, merited the decision but the Derbyshire fighter experienced the second defeat of his 28-match career.

The Champion Secures Triumph in Slow Affair

The fighter's advancement has slowed in recent times through promotional disputes and considerable time of inactivity.

Previously predicted as the future of the British fight scene, he now stands trying to fulfil that early promise - possibly in what feels like a ultimate opportunity - under recent support.

He began cautiously, with neither fighter prepared 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 making just his second bout at the higher weight class.

By the halfway stage, the underdog had kept it close, making life awkward for the favorite, who operated with a tight guard to narrowly win the better periods.

The spectators' acceptance decreased because of regular grabbing, with the challenger slipping to the canvas multiple occasions during close exchanges.

The underdog ended stronger, but several stanzas were difficult to score. Although, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - commentating on the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for Parker, awarding Buatsi just a single round.

The victor progresses, but with the caliber of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol leading the category, the journey to titles - based on this performance - still looks steep.

Hatton Tribute Motivates Manchester Derby Fight

In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur beat Bradley Rea by close verdict in a excellent all-Manchester battle to secure the European light heavyweight title.

The arena fell silent for a extremely emotional memorial prior to the bout as 10 bells sounded in honor of the city's native Hatton, who died aged 46 in recently.

It was the premier televised match card in the location since the passing of Hatton. As the last bell disappeared, the silence became a chant of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".

The action inside the ropes equaled the sentiment. Arthur was knocked down by a significant blow directly to the jaw in the second round, getting up unsteadily to his feet on the count of eight.

But the Manchester United-red shorts of the fighter soon advanced again. From the other corner, the opponent - in rival City blue - was marked up quickly, noticeable damage appearing under his eye as the fighters traded punishing blows.

Rea, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but Arthur, thirty-four, matched the intensity with stinging uppercuts as the pace hardly diminished over 12 rounds.

Arthur edged the verdict with scoring tallies of draw, close margin and clearer margin, but each competitor were persistent and brave, exactly what their idol Hatton stood for.