British light-heavyweight Buatsi earned a win yet disappointing debut to his career under new promoters with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a competitive 10-round bout at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger landed significant shots, delivering effective clean blows in a contest where the techniques didn't complement each other, with frequent clinching spoiling the contest.
The scoring judges had it 96-94 for to the winner, with the final judge a 95-95.
"It wasn't my finest display but what defines champions? They succeed," the victor commented in the arena as he was greeted with disapproval from the audience.
The Londoner got back to winning after his first professional defeat - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in last winter - to claim a twentieth professional win.
Various analysts thought Parker, 31, deserved the win but the contender suffered the second defeat of his 28-match professional journey.
The Champion Secures Win in Slow Match
The fighter's advancement has stalled in the past few years through management issues and long spells of inactivity.
Once tipped as the rising talent of the British fight scene, he now is positioned trying to fulfil that early promise - possibly in what appears to be a ultimate opportunity - under recent support.
He started carefully, with neither fighter willing to be aggressive in a calculated early stages.
The challenger, whose sole prior loss came at super middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after breaking his hand during the bout, was competing in only his second fight at light heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, the underdog had made it competitive, causing problems for Buatsi, who operated with a tight guard to edge the cleaner periods.
The spectators' acceptance decreased during frequent holding, with the challenger going down several times during grappling.
Parker finished the stronger, but many rounds were difficult to score. Although, former world champion the boxing analyst - commentating on the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for the challenger, awarding Buatsi just one 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.
Hatton Memorial Motivates Manchester Derby Battle
In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur defeated Rea by close verdict in a excellent local rivalry battle to win the European light heavyweight belt.
The venue grew hushed for a extremely emotional tribute ahead of the contest as a bell ceremony tolled in remembrance of local hero Ricky Hatton, who passed away at age 46 in last month.
It was the premier televised match card in the urban center since the passing of Hatton. As the last bell faded, the stillness gave way to a chant of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".
The action during the bout matched the sentiment. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a powerful punch directly to the jaw in the second round, standing uncertainly to his feet on the count of eight.
But the traditional red equipment of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. Across the ring, the opponent - in competitive blue - was marked up early, noticeable damage appearing under his eye as the duo landed punishing blows.
Rea, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, thirty-four, responded in kind with powerful upward punches as the intensity hardly diminished over twelve rounds.
The victor narrowly won the verdict with scoring tallies of 114-114, narrow lead and wider gap, but both fighters were persistent and brave, all the qualities their idol Hatton embodied.
