British light heavyweight Buatsi made a winning yet disappointing beginning to his career under recent management with a decision win over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate appeared to earn him a majority decision in a competitive ten-round contest at the Manchester venue.
But the challenger found success, connecting with powerful single shots in a fight where the techniques never quite clicked, with excessive holding disrupting the contest.
Two judges judged it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the third a even score.
"It wasn't my greatest performance but what defines champions? They win," the victor said in the arena as he was greeted with negative reactions from the spectators.
The Londoner bounced back after his initial pro loss - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in February - to secure a 20th career victory.
Some ringside observers believed Parker, thirty-one, merited the decision but the British boxer experienced the second setback of his 28-bout career.
The Champion Secures Triumph in Uneventful Match
The fighter's advancement has stalled in the past few years through management issues and long spells of lack of fights.
Once tipped as the future of the British fight scene, he now stands trying to achieve expectations - perhaps in what feels like a last chance - under new promotional backing.
He began cautiously, with the two boxers prepared to overcommit in a calculated opening few rounds.
Parker, whose only previous defeat came at the lower weight class against John Ryder in 2022 after damaging his hand in the contest, was competing in only his second appearance at light heavyweight.
By the fight's midpoint, Parker had made it competitive, creating difficulties for Buatsi, who utilized a solid defense to edge the cleaner rounds.
The spectators' acceptance wore thin during constant clinching, with the challenger going down multiple occasions during close exchanges.
The underdog closed well, but many rounds were hard to judge. Although, previous titleholder Carl Frampton - working with the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for Parker, awarding Buatsi just only one stanza.
Buatsi moves on, but with the likes of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Bivol ruling the division, the road to world glory - on this evidence - still seems difficult.
Hatton Memorial Motivates All-Manchester Contest
In the co-main event, Lyndon Arthur defeated Rea by divided decision in a outstanding all-Manchester fight to capture the continental championship.
The arena fell silent for a extremely emotional tribute before the fight as ten bells rang in memory of the city's native Hatton, who succumbed at age 46 in last month.
It was the premier televised match card 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 within the ring equaled the feeling. The eventual winner was knocked down by a powerful punch flush on the face in the early round, getting up unsteadily to his feet on the referee's count.
But the red-colored shorts of Arthur soon came forward again. Across the ring, the opponent - in rival City blue - was marked up early, significant bruising forming under his face as the duo exchanged hard punches.
Rea, 27, connected with strong blows but Arthur, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the intensity rarely dropped over the full distance.
The victor edged the result with scoring tallies of 114-114, close margin and clearer margin, but the two athletes were relentless and courageous, exactly what their inspiration the legend represented.
