British light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet underwhelming debut to his career under recent management with a points victory over Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's activity level seemingly secured him a majority decision in a close ten-round fight at the boxing arena.
But the challenger landed significant shots, connecting with powerful clean blows in a contest where the styles never quite clicked, with excessive holding disrupting 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 defines champions? They succeed," the victor said in the ringside as he was faced disapproval from the spectators.
The British fighter returned to winning ways after his first professional defeat - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in last winter - to claim a twentieth professional win.
Various analysts thought Parker, 31, merited the win but the British boxer suffered the second loss of his 28-match career.
Buatsi Claims Win in Dull Encounter
The fighter's advancement has stalled in recent years through promotional disputes and long spells of inactivity.
Previously predicted as the next star of British boxing, he now stands trying to realize his potential - maybe in what feels like a final roll of the dice - under new promotional backing.
He opened tentatively, with the two boxers willing to overcommit in a cagey early stages.
The challenger, whose sole prior loss came at super middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after breaking his hand during the bout, was competing in only his second appearance at light heavyweight.
By the halfway stage, the underdog had made it competitive, causing problems for Buatsi, who utilized a tight guard to edge the more effective stanzas.
The audience's tolerance decreased amid frequent holding, with Parker slipping to the canvas several times during close exchanges.
The underdog ended stronger, but several stanzas were difficult to score. However, previous titleholder the boxing analyst - commentating on the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, giving Buatsi just only one stanza.
The victor moves on, but with the likes of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the path to championship success - judging by this showing - still appears challenging.
Ricky Hatton Tribute Motivates Manchester Derby Fight
In the supporting bout, Arthur defeated Rea by split-decision in a terrific local rivalry battle to capture the European light heavyweight belt.
The arena fell silent for a extremely emotional memorial prior to the bout as ten bells rang in memory of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who succumbed 46 years old in last month.
It was the premier televised fight night in the urban center since Hatton's death. As the concluding sound faded, the silence transitioned to a shout of "only one Ricky Hatton".
The fighting within the ring equaled the feeling. The eventual winner was knocked down by a left hook flush on the jaw in the initial stage, standing uncertainly to his position on the referee's count.
But the red-colored equipment of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. From the other corner, the opponent - in rival City blue - was injured soon, significant bruising forming under his face as the fighters landed punishing blows.
The challenger, twenty-seven, landed power punches but Arthur, thirty-four, responded in kind with powerful upward punches as the intensity rarely dropped over 12 rounds.
The victor edged the verdict with official scores of draw, 115-113 and wider gap, but each competitor were determined and full of heart, exactly what their idol Hatton embodied.
