British light-heavyweight Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming start to life under recent management with a decision win over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's activity level likely gained him a judges' verdict in a competitive 10-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.
But Parker landed significant shots, landing some telling individual punches in a fight where the approaches didn't complement each other, with constant grabbing spoiling the fight.
The officials scored it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the third a 95-95.
"It wasn't my greatest showing but what do champions do? They prevail," Buatsi said in the ringside as he was greeted with negative reactions from the spectators.
The Londoner returned to winning ways after his initial pro loss - an epic battle with Callum Smith in February - to earn a 20th pro success.
Several boxing experts thought the challenger, 31, merited the victory but the contender endured the second setback of his 28-match career.
The Champion Claims Victory in Dull Match
Buatsi's progress has stalled in recent times through promotional disputes and considerable time of lack of fights.
Once tipped as the next star of British boxing, he now is positioned trying to realize his potential - possibly in what appears to be a final roll of the dice - under recent support.
He opened tentatively, with the two boxers prepared to overcommit in a tentative early stages.
Parker, whose only previous defeat came at super-middleweight against his former opponent in two years ago after damaging his hand during the bout, was competing in only his second fight at light heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, Parker had made it competitive, making life awkward for the favorite, who worked behind a solid defense to edge the cleaner rounds.
The audience's tolerance decreased during constant clinching, with the challenger slipping to the canvas multiple occasions during close exchanges.
The underdog ended stronger, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. Nevertheless, ex-champion the boxing analyst - providing analysis for Dazn - had it particularly wide for Parker, giving Buatsi just one round.
Buatsi progresses, but with the likes of power puncher Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - based on this performance - still looks steep.
Ricky Hatton Tribute Inspires All-Manchester Fight
In the secondary fight, Arthur beat Bradley Rea by close verdict in a outstanding Manchester vs Manchester fight to capture the European light heavyweight belt.
The arena grew hushed for a deeply poignant homage before the fight as ten bells tolled in memory of local hero Ricky Hatton, who passed away at age 46 in September.
It was the initial significant broadcast boxing event in the city since Hatton's passing. As the final chime ended, the silence transitioned to a roar of "there's only one Hatton".
The competition during the bout reflected the sentiment. The eventual winner was knocked down by a significant blow directly to the chin in the early round, getting up unsteadily to his footing on the eight count.
But the red-colored attire of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. From the other corner, the opponent - in opposing blue - was injured soon, significant bruising developing under his eye as the fighters exchanged hard punches.
The challenger, 27, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, thirty-four, responded in kind with effective uppercuts as the pace hardly diminished over twelve rounds.
The victor narrowly won the verdict with judges scorecards of draw, close margin and wider gap, but each competitor were relentless and full of heart, exactly what their hero the legend embodied.
