British light-heavyweight Buatsi secured a victory yet disappointing start to life under recent management with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's punch output seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a close ten-round bout at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger landed significant shots, connecting with powerful individual punches in a match where the approaches never quite clicked, with frequent clinching marring the fight.
Two judges judged it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the remaining official a even score.
"It wasn't my greatest showing but what do champions do? They prevail," the victor commented in the ring as he was met by negative reactions from the crowd.
The British fighter got back to winning after his maiden career setback - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in last winter - to earn a 20th pro success.
Various analysts thought the challenger, 31, merited the decision but the contender suffered the second loss of his 28-fight professional journey.
Buatsi Claims Victory in Dull Affair
Buatsi's progress has slowed in recent times through management issues and considerable time of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the next star of British boxing, he now finds himself trying to achieve expectations - perhaps in what appears to be a last chance - under fresh management.
He began cautiously, with neither fighter ready to be aggressive in a tentative initial rounds.
Parker, whose single earlier setback came at the lower weight class against John Ryder in 2022 after damaging his hand during the bout, was competing in only his second fight at light-heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had made it competitive, making life awkward for the favorite, who operated with a tight guard to edge the cleaner rounds.
The audience's tolerance decreased amid frequent holding, with the challenger going down multiple occasions during close exchanges.
The underdog ended stronger, but multiple periods were challenging to assess. However, ex-champion the boxing analyst - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just a single round.
The victor progresses, but with the caliber of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Russian champion Bivol leading the category, the path to championship success - judging by this showing - still looks steep.
Hatton Tribute Motivates All-Manchester Fight
In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by divided decision in a excellent local rivalry fight to win the European light heavyweight belt.
The arena grew hushed for a deeply poignant homage before the fight as ten bells sounded in memory of the city's native Hatton, who passed away at age 46 in September.
It was the premier televised boxing event in the city since Hatton's passing. As the final chime faded, the stillness transitioned to a chant of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The competition during the bout equaled the feeling. The eventual winner was knocked down by a significant blow squarely on the jaw in the early round, rising shakily to his position on the count of eight.
But the traditional red equipment of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. Across the ring, Rea - in competitive blue - was injured early, heavy swelling forming under his face as the duo traded powerful shots.
Rea, twenty-seven, landed power punches but Arthur, 34, responded in kind with effective uppercuts as the pace seldom decreased over 12 rounds.
The victor barely secured the verdict with judges scorecards of draw, narrow lead and wider gap, but both fighters were persistent and courageous, exactly what their hero Hatton embodied.
