British light-heavyweight Buatsi made a winning yet unimpressive start to life under recent management with a decision win over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate likely gained him a majority decision in a close 10-round bout at the Manchester venue.
But the challenger landed significant shots, connecting with powerful individual punches in a contest where the techniques didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing marring the action.
The officials judged it 96-94 for to the winner, with the final judge a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my best display but what defines champions? They prevail," the victor commented in the arena as he was greeted with boos from the spectators.
The British fighter got back to winning after his maiden career setback - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in February - to earn a twentieth professional win.
Some ringside observers thought Parker, thirty-one, deserved the decision but the Derbyshire fighter endured the second setback of his 28-fight career.
The Champion Secures Win in Uneventful Encounter
The fighter's advancement has stalled in the past few years through contract problems and considerable time of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the rising talent of the British fight scene, he now finds himself trying to realize his potential - possibly in what seems like a final roll of the dice - under fresh management.
He began cautiously, with both competitors ready to be aggressive in a calculated initial rounds.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after damaging his hand in the contest, was competing in only his second bout at light heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, Parker had stayed in contention, creating difficulties for Buatsi, who worked behind a solid defense to edge the cleaner periods.
The audience's tolerance decreased amid constant clinching, with Parker going down several times during grappling.
The underdog ended stronger, but multiple periods were difficult to score. However, ex-champion the boxing analyst - working with the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just only one stanza.
Buatsi advances, but with the presence of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - based on this performance - still appears challenging.
Ricky Hatton Homage Motivates All-Manchester Fight
In the secondary fight, Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by divided decision in a terrific local rivalry contest to win the continental title.
The stadium grew hushed for a extremely emotional memorial before the fight as a bell ceremony sounded in honor of Manchester's own Hatton, who succumbed aged 46 in last month.
It was the first major televised fight night in the city since Hatton's death. As the last bell disappeared, the stillness gave way to a chant of "only one Ricky Hatton".
The competition inside the ropes reflected the feeling. The eventual winner was knocked down by a left hook flush on the chin in the initial stage, rising shakily to his footing on the referee's count.
But the red-colored attire of Arthur soon advanced again. Across the ring, the opponent - in rival City blue - was marked up early, heavy swelling forming under his eye as the fighters traded hard punches.
Rea, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but the champion, 34, responded in kind with powerful upward punches as the intensity seldom decreased over twelve rounds.
The victor barely secured the decision with scoring tallies of even score, narrow lead and wider gap, but each competitor were determined and courageous, all the qualities their hero Hatton represented.
