British light heavyweight Buatsi earned a win yet disappointing debut to his career under fresh promotional backing with a decision win over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's punch output seemingly secured him a majority decision in a close ten-round fight at the boxing arena.
But the challenger had his moments, delivering effective clean blows in a contest where the approaches didn't complement each other, with excessive holding marring the contest.
The officials scored it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the final judge a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my best display but what do champions do? They prevail," Buatsi stated in the arena as he was met by boos from the spectators.
The Londoner returned to winning ways after his maiden career setback - an thrilling contest with Callum Smith in last winter - to claim a 20th pro success.
Various analysts believed Parker, 31, merited the win but the British boxer endured the second defeat of his 28-fight career.
Buatsi Secures Triumph in Uneventful Match
His career development has slowed in recent times through management issues and considerable time of lack of fights.
Previously predicted as the next star of British boxing, he now finds himself trying to fulfil that early promise - perhaps in what seems like a last chance - under fresh management.
He began cautiously, with both competitors prepared to take risks in a cagey initial rounds.
Parker, whose only previous defeat came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after damaging his hand during the bout, was competing in only his second bout at the higher weight class.
By the halfway stage, Parker had made it competitive, making life awkward for the favorite, who worked behind a tight guard to narrowly win the more effective stanzas.
The crowd's patience decreased amid constant clinching, with the challenger falling to the floor multiple occasions during grappling.
The underdog closed well, but many rounds were hard to judge. Although, former world champion Carl Frampton - working with Dazn - had it particularly wide for Parker, awarding Buatsi just a single round.
Buatsi progresses, but with the caliber of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol leading the category, the road to world glory - based on this performance - still appears challenging.
Ricky Hatton Memorial Motivates All-Manchester Battle
In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by split-decision in a terrific all-Manchester contest to secure the continental belt.
The arena became quiet for a extremely emotional tribute prior to the bout as 10 bells rang in memory of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who died aged 46 in recently.
It was the first major televised match card in the location since Hatton's passing. As the concluding sound ended, the stillness transitioned to a roar of "there's just one Hatton".
The fighting during the bout matched the emotion. The eventual winner was floored by a left hook squarely on the chin in the second round, rising shakily to his position on the count of eight.
But the traditional red attire of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. On the opposite side, the opponent - in opposing blue - was marked up quickly, heavy swelling developing under his orbital area as the duo traded powerful shots.
The challenger, 27, connected with strong blows but Arthur, 34, responded in kind with stinging uppercuts as the pace seldom decreased over the full distance.
Arthur barely secured the result with judges scorecards of draw, narrow lead and wider gap, but both fighters were determined and courageous, all the qualities their hero the legend stood for.
