British light heavyweight Buatsi made a winning yet disappointing beginning to his career under new promoters with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic bronze medallist's work rate likely gained him a judges' verdict in a competitive ten-round fight at the boxing arena.
But Parker had his moments, landing some telling individual punches in a match where the techniques never quite clicked, with constant grabbing disrupting the action.
Two judges judged it 96-94 in favor to the winner, with the third a even score.
"It wasn't my greatest performance but what do champions do? They succeed," the victor stated in the ringside as he was met by negative reactions from the audience.
The British fighter bounced back after his maiden career setback - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in February - to claim a 20th pro success.
Some ringside observers thought the challenger, thirty-one, should have been awarded the victory but the Derbyshire fighter endured the second setback of his 28-match professional journey.
The Champion Earns Triumph in Slow Encounter
The fighter's advancement has stalled in the past few years through management issues and extended periods of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the rising talent of the British fight scene, he now finds himself trying to realize his potential - maybe in what seems like a ultimate opportunity - under new promotional backing.
He began cautiously, with both competitors willing to overcommit in a cagey initial rounds.
The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was making just his second bout at light heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, the underdog had stayed in contention, causing problems for the favorite, who worked behind a solid defense to barely take the cleaner rounds.
The crowd's patience decreased amid frequent holding, with the challenger slipping to the canvas several times during clinches.
The underdog closed well, but many rounds were challenging to assess. Nevertheless, ex-champion the boxing analyst - working with the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for Parker, giving Buatsi just a single round.
The victor moves on, but with the caliber of power puncher Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the road to world glory - judging by this showing - still seems difficult.
Ricky Hatton Homage Motivates Local Rivalry Fight
In the supporting bout, Arthur overcame Rea by split-decision in a outstanding local rivalry fight to capture the European light-heavyweight belt.
The venue grew hushed for a extremely emotional tribute prior to the bout as 10 bells tolled in honor of Manchester's own Hatton, who passed away aged 46 in last month.
It was the first major televised boxing event in the city since the passing of Hatton. As the concluding sound faded, the stillness gave way to a chant of "there's just one Hatton".
The action during the bout reflected the sentiment. Arthur was knocked down by a powerful punch directly to the jaw in the second round, getting up unsteadily to his position on the eight count.
But the red-colored equipment of the fighter soon advanced again. Across the ring, Rea - in rival City blue - was damaged early, noticeable damage appearing under his face as the pair exchanged hard punches.
Rea, 27, connected with strong blows but Arthur, 34, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the action seldom decreased over the full distance.
Arthur narrowly won the result with official scores of even score, narrow lead and wider gap, but the two athletes were persistent and full of heart, everything their idol the legend stood for.
