British light heavyweight Buatsi secured a victory yet unimpressive beginning to his career under recent management with a decision win over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist's punch output appeared to earn him a judges' verdict in a competitive ten-round fight at the boxing arena.
But the challenger had his moments, landing some telling clean blows in a match where the approaches never quite clicked, with frequent clinching spoiling the action.
Two judges had it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the remaining official a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my finest performance but how do champions respond? They win," the victor stated in the arena as he was met by negative reactions from the crowd.
The Londoner returned to winning ways after his initial pro loss - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in last winter - to secure a 20th pro success.
Various analysts thought Parker, thirty-one, merited the victory but the British boxer experienced the second defeat of his 28-fight professional journey.
The Champion Earns Victory in Dull Match
The fighter's advancement has stalled in the past few years through contract problems and considerable time of inactivity.
Once tipped as the future of British boxing, he now stands trying to fulfil that early promise - maybe in what appears to be a final roll of the dice - under fresh management.
He opened tentatively, with the two boxers prepared to be aggressive in a calculated early stages.
Parker, whose single earlier setback came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in 2022 after damaging his hand in the contest, was making just his second fight at light heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, the underdog had made it competitive, causing problems for Buatsi, who worked behind a protective stance to edge the cleaner periods.
The crowd's patience decreased amid frequent holding, with Parker slipping to the canvas several times during close exchanges.
Parker finished the stronger, but multiple periods were challenging to assess. Nevertheless, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - commentating on Dazn - had it particularly wide for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just one round.
Buatsi moves on, but with the caliber of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol ruling the division, the road to world glory - based on this performance - still seems difficult.
Hatton Tribute Inspires Local Rivalry Fight
In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur defeated Rea by divided decision in a excellent Manchester vs Manchester battle to win the European light-heavyweight belt.
The arena fell silent for a extremely emotional homage ahead of the contest as a bell ceremony sounded in honor of Manchester's own Hatton, who died 46 years old in recently.
It was the premier televised fight night in the urban center since Hatton's passing. As the concluding sound faded, the silence transitioned to a shout of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The fighting within the ring matched the sentiment. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a significant blow flush on the jaw in the early round, getting up unsteadily to his footing on the referee's count.
But the Manchester United-red equipment of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in rival City blue - was marked up quickly, heavy swelling forming under his face as the duo exchanged punishing blows.
Rea, twenty-seven, landed power punches but the champion, 34, responded in kind with stinging uppercuts as the intensity rarely dropped over twelve rounds.
Arthur narrowly won the decision with official scores of draw, 115-113 and wider gap, but each competitor were persistent and courageous, exactly what their idol the legend embodied.
