British light-heavyweight Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming debut to his career under recent management with a decision win over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's punch output appeared to earn him a split decision in a competitive ten-round bout at the boxing arena.
But the challenger had his moments, landing some telling single shots in a contest where the approaches didn't complement each other, with frequent clinching spoiling the fight.
Two judges had it 96-94 in favor to the winner, with the third a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my greatest showing but what defines champions? They succeed," Buatsi said in the ringside as he was greeted with negative reactions from the spectators.
The British fighter returned to winning ways after his first professional defeat - an memorable fight with his previous opponent in last winter - to earn a 20th pro success.
Several boxing experts felt the challenger, thirty-one, deserved the decision but the British boxer endured the second loss of his 28-bout professional journey.
Buatsi Claims Victory in Dull Affair
Buatsi's progress has plateaued in recent years through contract problems and long spells of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the future of the British fight scene, he now finds himself trying to fulfil that early promise - maybe in what feels like a ultimate opportunity - under new promotional backing.
He started carefully, with both competitors willing to be aggressive in a tentative opening few rounds.
The challenger, whose sole prior loss came at the lower weight class against his former opponent in 2022 after breaking his hand in the contest, was competing in only his second fight at light heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, the underdog had made it competitive, making life awkward for Buatsi, who worked behind a protective stance to narrowly win the more effective rounds.
The audience's tolerance diminished during constant clinching, with the challenger going down multiple occasions during close exchanges.
Parker finished the stronger, but several stanzas were hard to judge. Although, ex-champion Carl Frampton - working with Dazn - had it strongly leaning for Parker, awarding Buatsi just one round.
Buatsi advances, but with the caliber of hard hitter Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol leading the category, the road to world glory - based on this performance - still appears challenging.
Hatton Memorial Fuels Manchester Derby Contest
In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur beat Bradley Rea by close verdict in a terrific local rivalry fight to capture the European light heavyweight championship.
The arena became quiet for a extremely emotional homage ahead of the contest as ten bells sounded in memory of the city's native Hatton, who succumbed at age 46 in September.
It was the first major televised boxing event in the city since Hatton's passing. As the last bell faded, the quiet gave way to a shout of "there's only one Hatton".
The action during the bout matched the feeling. The eventual winner was floored by a significant blow flush on the face in the second round, getting up unsteadily to his position on the count of eight.
But the traditional red equipment of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. Across the ring, Rea - in competitive blue - was injured quickly, heavy swelling forming under his face as the pair landed hard punches.
The challenger, twenty-seven, delivered effective strikes but the champion, thirty-four, responded in kind with effective uppercuts as the pace seldom decreased over the full distance.
Arthur barely secured the result with official scores of 114-114, 115-113 and wider gap, but each competitor were persistent and full of heart, everything their inspiration the legend stood for.
