British light heavyweight Buatsi made a winning yet disappointing start to his career under fresh promotional backing with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic bronze medallist's punch output seemingly secured him a split decision in a close ten-round fight at the Manchester venue.
But Parker landed significant shots, connecting with powerful individual punches in a fight where the approaches didn't complement each other, with frequent clinching disrupting the contest.
The scoring judges had it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the third a even score.
"It wasn't my greatest performance but what do champions do? They prevail," Buatsi commented in the arena as he was faced disapproval from the spectators.
The Londoner bounced back after his first professional defeat - an memorable fight with his previous opponent in last winter - to claim a 20th pro success.
Several boxing experts thought the challenger, 31, merited the decision but the Derbyshire fighter experienced the second setback of his 28-match professional journey.
Buatsi Secures Win in Uneventful Affair
The fighter's advancement has stalled in recent years through contract problems and extended periods of lack of fights.
Previously predicted as the future of the British fight scene, he now is positioned trying to achieve expectations - perhaps in what feels like a last chance - under fresh management.
He started carefully, with neither fighter prepared to be aggressive in a calculated initial rounds.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was competing in only his second bout at light-heavyweight.
By the halfway stage, Parker had made it competitive, creating difficulties for the favorite, who operated with a protective stance to edge the better stanzas.
The spectators' acceptance decreased amid frequent holding, with Parker falling to the floor various instances during close exchanges.
The underdog closed well, but many rounds were difficult to score. Although, former world champion Carl Frampton - working with Dazn - had it significantly in favor for the challenger, awarding Buatsi just a single round.
Buatsi advances, but with the caliber of power puncher David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the path to championship success - judging by this showing - still looks steep.
Hatton Memorial Inspires Manchester Derby Contest
In the supporting bout, Arthur overcame Rea by divided decision in a excellent Manchester vs Manchester battle to capture the European light-heavyweight title.
The venue fell silent for a extremely emotional memorial before the fight as ten bells tolled in honor of the city's native Hatton, who passed away at age 46 in last month.
It was the initial significant broadcast match card in the urban center since the passing of Hatton. As the concluding sound disappeared, the stillness became a roar of "there's only one Hatton".
The action within the ring equaled the emotion. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a powerful punch squarely on the jaw in the early round, rising shakily to his position on the referee's count.
But the red-colored equipment of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. From the other corner, the opponent - in competitive blue - was damaged soon, noticeable damage developing under his face as the pair exchanged powerful shots.
The challenger, 27, landed power punches but Arthur, 34, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the pace seldom decreased over 12 rounds.
The victor narrowly won the decision with scoring tallies of even score, narrow lead and clearer margin, but the two athletes were persistent and brave, exactly what their hero the legend represented.
