British light-heavyweight Buatsi earned a win yet underwhelming start to life under recent management with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's activity level seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a competitive ten-round bout at the Manchester venue.
But Parker had his moments, delivering effective clean blows in a fight where the techniques didn't complement each other, with frequent clinching disrupting the contest.
The scoring judges scored it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the remaining official a even score.
"It wasn't my best showing but how do champions respond? They prevail," Buatsi commented in the arena as he was faced boos from the spectators.
The Londoner returned to winning ways after his first professional defeat - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in February - to earn a 20th pro success.
Several boxing experts felt Parker, thirty-one, merited the win but the Derbyshire fighter experienced the second defeat of his 28-match professional journey.
The Champion Secures Triumph in Uneventful Affair
His career development has plateaued in the past few years through contract problems and considerable time of inactivity.
Once tipped as the rising talent of the British fight scene, he now stands trying to fulfil that early promise - perhaps in what appears to be a ultimate opportunity - under fresh management.
He started carefully, with neither fighter prepared to be aggressive in a tentative early stages.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in two years ago after suffering a hand injury mid-fight, was competing in only his second bout at the higher weight class.
By the halfway stage, Parker had made it competitive, creating difficulties for Buatsi, who worked behind a tight guard to barely take the more effective stanzas.
The crowd's patience diminished amid constant clinching, with Parker going down several times during close exchanges.
Parker closed well, but many rounds were hard to judge. Nevertheless, former world champion the boxing analyst - working with the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, scoring for Buatsi just a single round.
The victor moves on, but with the caliber of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the road to world glory - based on this performance - still appears challenging.
Hatton Homage Fuels All-Manchester Contest
In the supporting bout, Arthur beat Rea by close verdict in a terrific all-Manchester contest to win the European light heavyweight belt.
The stadium grew hushed for a extremely emotional tribute prior to the bout as a bell ceremony sounded in memory of local hero Ricky Hatton, who passed away 46 years old in September.
It was the initial significant broadcast boxing event in the city since the passing of Hatton. As the concluding sound faded, the silence became a shout of "there's only one Ricky Hatton".
The action during the bout equaled the sentiment. The eventual winner was floored by a significant blow squarely on the jaw in the second round, standing uncertainly to his footing on the eight count.
But the traditional red shorts of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. Across the ring, the opponent - in opposing blue - was marked up early, significant bruising appearing under his eye as the fighters traded powerful shots.
Rea, 27, landed power punches but the champion, thirty-four, responded in kind with powerful upward punches as the pace rarely dropped over twelve rounds.
The victor barely secured the decision with official scores of draw, 115-113 and 115-112, but both fighters were persistent and full of heart, exactly what their hero Hatton stood for.
