British light heavyweight Buatsi made a winning yet disappointing debut to his career under fresh promotional backing with a points victory over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate likely gained him a majority decision in a competitive ten-round bout at the Manchester venue.
But the challenger had his moments, delivering effective single shots in a contest where the approaches failed to mesh, with excessive holding spoiling the fight.
The scoring judges scored it 96-94 for to the winner, with the remaining official a even score.
"It wasn't my best performance but what do champions do? They prevail," Buatsi commented in the ringside as he was met by negative reactions from the crowd.
The Londoner returned to winning ways after his maiden career setback - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in last winter - to claim a twentieth professional win.
Various analysts thought Parker, thirty-one, deserved the decision but the contender experienced the second setback of his 28-bout career.
Buatsi Claims Triumph in Uneventful Match
The fighter's advancement has stalled in recent years through contract problems and considerable time of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the next star of the British fight scene, he now stands trying to realize his potential - perhaps in what feels like a last chance - under recent support.
He started carefully, with neither fighter willing to overcommit in a cagey opening few rounds.
The challenger, whose single earlier setback came at the lower weight class against John Ryder in 2022 after suffering a hand injury in the contest, was participating in his second bout at light-heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, the underdog had kept it close, making life awkward for Buatsi, who operated with a solid defense to barely take the cleaner rounds.
The crowd's patience diminished because of frequent holding, with the challenger falling to the floor various instances during grappling.
The underdog closed well, but several stanzas were difficult to score. Although, ex-champion the boxing analyst - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for Parker, giving Buatsi just only one stanza.
The victor advances, but with the caliber of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Bivol dominating the weight class, the journey to titles - based on this performance - still appears challenging.
Ricky Hatton Homage Inspires Manchester Derby Fight
In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur overcame Rea by close verdict in a excellent Manchester vs Manchester battle to win the continental title.
The stadium fell silent for a profoundly moving memorial ahead of the contest as a bell ceremony rang in memory of the city's native Ricky Hatton, who succumbed 46 years old in recently.
It was the premier televised fight night in the location since Hatton's death. As the final chime ended, the silence gave way to a chant of "there's just one Hatton".
The action during the bout matched the emotion. The eventual winner was sent to the canvas by a significant blow squarely on the jaw in the initial stage, getting up unsteadily to his footing on the count of eight.
But the red-colored equipment of Arthur soon advanced again. From the other corner, the opponent - in competitive blue - was damaged early, heavy swelling developing under his eye as the pair traded punishing blows.
Rea, 27, landed power punches but the champion, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with powerful upward punches as the intensity rarely dropped over 12 rounds.
The victor barely secured the result with official scores of draw, narrow lead and clearer margin, but the two athletes were persistent and brave, all the qualities their hero the legend embodied.
