British light heavyweight Buatsi earned a win yet unimpressive beginning to his career under recent management with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's punch output seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a close ten-round fight at the boxing arena.
But Parker had his moments, connecting with powerful single shots in a match where the approaches failed to mesh, with excessive holding disrupting the fight.
Two judges had it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the final judge a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my best performance but how do champions respond? They win," Buatsi stated in the arena as he was greeted with disapproval from the crowd.
The British fighter got back to winning after his first professional defeat - an epic battle with Callum Smith in February - to secure a twentieth professional win.
Several boxing experts felt the challenger, 31, deserved the decision but the British boxer endured the second loss of his 28-fight career.
The Champion Secures Win in Dull Affair
His career development has stalled in the past few years through contract problems and considerable time of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the next star of UK boxing, he now finds himself trying to realize his potential - perhaps in what appears to be a last chance - under recent support.
He started carefully, with the two boxers prepared to overcommit in a tentative opening few rounds.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after damaging his hand during the bout, was competing in only his second fight at the higher weight class.
By the middle rounds, Parker had made it competitive, creating difficulties for Buatsi, who utilized a tight guard to narrowly win the better rounds.
The spectators' acceptance diminished amid regular grabbing, with Parker slipping to the canvas multiple occasions during grappling.
Parker finished the stronger, but many rounds were hard to judge. Nevertheless, ex-champion the boxing analyst - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it significantly in favor for Parker, awarding Buatsi just one round.
The victor moves on, but with the likes of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the road to world glory - based on this performance - still appears challenging.
Ricky Hatton Homage Inspires All-Manchester Fight
In the secondary fight, Arthur beat Bradley Rea by split-decision in a excellent all-Manchester contest to secure the European light heavyweight championship.
The venue became quiet for a deeply poignant homage before the fight as a bell ceremony tolled in honor of local hero Ricky Hatton, who died aged 46 in September.
It was the premier televised match card in the city since the passing of Hatton. As the concluding sound ended, the silence became a roar of "there's just one Hatton".
The action inside the ropes matched the sentiment. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a left hook flush on the face in the early round, rising shakily to his footing on the eight count.
But the red-colored attire of Arthur soon came forward again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in opposing blue - was injured early, heavy swelling forming under his eye as the fighters traded punishing blows.
Rea, 27, landed power punches but the champion, thirty-four, responded in kind with effective uppercuts as the pace seldom decreased over 12 rounds.
The victor narrowly won the verdict with official scores of draw, narrow lead and clearer margin, but each competitor were persistent and full of heart, exactly what their hero Hatton embodied.
