British light heavyweight Buatsi secured a victory yet disappointing beginning to life under recent management with a decision win over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's activity level seemingly secured him a split decision in a tight ten-round bout at the Co-op Live Arena.
But Parker had his moments, delivering effective clean blows in a fight where the techniques didn't complement each other, with excessive holding disrupting the fight.
Two judges judged it 96-94 to the winner, with the final judge a 95-95.
"It wasn't my best performance but how do champions respond? They win," the victor commented in the arena as he was greeted with disapproval from the spectators.
The Londoner bounced back after his first professional defeat - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in February - to earn a twentieth professional win.
Some ringside observers thought the challenger, 31, deserved the win but the contender endured the second defeat of his 28-bout career.
The Champion Earns Victory in Uneventful Affair
His career development has slowed in recent times through management issues and considerable time of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the next star of British boxing, he now is positioned trying to realize his potential - perhaps in what appears to be a final roll of the dice - under fresh management.
He began cautiously, with the two boxers prepared to be aggressive in a tentative early stages.
Parker, whose single earlier setback came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in two years ago after damaging his hand mid-fight, was participating in his second fight at the higher weight class.
By the fight's midpoint, Parker had made it competitive, making life awkward for Buatsi, who worked behind a solid defense to narrowly win the better periods.
The spectators' acceptance decreased amid constant clinching, with the challenger going down several times during grappling.
Parker closed well, but several stanzas were hard to judge. Nevertheless, former world champion Carl Frampton - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just one round.
The victor advances, but with the presence of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the path to championship success - on this evidence - still appears challenging.
Hatton Tribute Inspires Local Rivalry Contest
In the supporting bout, Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by close verdict in a terrific Manchester vs Manchester battle to win the European light-heavyweight championship.
The arena became quiet for a deeply poignant memorial before the fight as ten bells sounded in memory of Manchester's own Hatton, who died 46 years old in recently.
It was the initial significant broadcast match card in the location since Hatton's death. As the concluding sound faded, the silence transitioned to a shout of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The competition inside the ropes equaled the feeling. Arthur was knocked down by a significant blow directly to the jaw in the second round, standing uncertainly to his footing on the referee's count.
But the traditional red attire of the fighter soon advanced again. On the opposite side, Rea - in competitive blue - was injured soon, noticeable damage developing under his orbital area as the duo exchanged powerful shots.
The challenger, 27, connected with strong blows but Arthur, thirty-four, responded in kind with stinging uppercuts as the action rarely dropped over 12 rounds.
Arthur edged the result with scoring tallies of 114-114, close margin and clearer margin, but the two athletes were determined and brave, exactly what their inspiration Hatton stood for.
