British light-heavyweight Buatsi earned a win yet unimpressive start to his career under recent management with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate seemingly secured him a majority decision in a close ten-round contest at the boxing arena.
But the challenger found success, landing some telling single shots in a match where the techniques failed to mesh, with excessive holding marring the fight.
The scoring judges scored it 96-94 to the winner, with the third a even score.
"It wasn't my best showing but how do champions respond? They prevail," the victor commented in the arena as he was faced negative reactions from the spectators.
The Londoner got back to winning after his first professional defeat - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a twentieth professional win.
Several boxing experts thought the challenger, thirty-one, merited the win but the contender experienced the second loss of his 28-bout career.
Buatsi Secures Victory in Uneventful Encounter
The fighter's advancement has slowed in the past few years through contract problems and considerable time of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the next star of UK boxing, he now is positioned trying to fulfil that early promise - perhaps in what appears to be a ultimate opportunity - under new promotional backing.
He began cautiously, with the two boxers ready to overcommit in a cagey initial rounds.
The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after damaging his hand in the contest, was participating in his second fight at light heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, Parker had kept it close, causing problems for Buatsi, who worked behind a tight guard to barely take the better stanzas.
The spectators' acceptance diminished amid constant clinching, with Parker falling to the floor various instances during close exchanges.
The underdog closed well, but several stanzas were difficult to score. Nevertheless, former world champion Carl Frampton - working with the broadcast network - had it significantly in favor for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just only one stanza.
Buatsi advances, but with the likes of power puncher David Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the road to world glory - based on this performance - still seems difficult.
Hatton Memorial Fuels Local Rivalry Battle
In the secondary fight, Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by split-decision in a outstanding all-Manchester contest to secure the continental championship.
The arena fell silent for a profoundly moving memorial ahead of the contest as ten bells tolled in remembrance of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who succumbed 46 years old in last month.
It was the initial significant broadcast fight night in the city since the passing of Hatton. As the concluding sound ended, the silence gave way to a shout of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The competition inside the ropes equaled the emotion. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a powerful punch flush on the jaw in the initial stage, standing uncertainly to his feet on the count of eight.
But the Manchester United-red equipment of the fighter soon advanced again. Across the ring, Rea - in opposing blue - was injured early, heavy swelling forming under his face as the pair landed hard punches.
Rea, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but the champion, thirty-four, matched the intensity with effective uppercuts as the action rarely dropped over 12 rounds.
The victor barely secured the result with official scores of 114-114, narrow lead and wider gap, but the two athletes were determined and courageous, all the qualities their idol the legend embodied.
