Joshua Buatsi wins in his Queensberry debut but not convincingly
British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet underwhelming start to life under new promoters Queensberry with a points victory over Zach Parker in Manchester.
The Olympic bronze medallist’s work rate and punch output seemingly secured him a majority decision in a close 10-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.
But Parker had his moments, landing some telling single shots in a fight where the styles never quite clicked, with excessive holding spoiling the action.
Two judges scored it 96-94 to Buatsi, with the third a 95-95 draw.
“It wasn’t my best performance but what do champions do? They win,” Buatsi said in the ring as he was met by boos from the crowd.
The Londoner returned to winning ways after his first professional defeat – an epic battle with Callum Smith in February – to claim a 20th career victory.
Some ringside observers felt Parker, 31, should have been awarded the decision but the Derbyshire fighter suffered the second loss of his 28-fight career.
Promoter Frank Warren had previously hinted that Buatsi could next face the winner of November’s WBC world-title clash between champion David Benavidez and fellow Briton Anthony Yarde, who fight on 22 November in Saudi Arabia.
“I’ll be watching. I’ll have a few weeks off but I’ll make sure I’m ready,” Buatsi added.
Buatsi’s progress has stalled in recent years through promotional disputes and long spells of inactivity.
Once tipped as the future of British boxing, he now finds himself trying to fulfil that early promise – perhaps in what feels like a final roll of the dice – under new promotional backing.
He began cautiously, with neither fighter willing to overcommit in a cagey opening few rounds.
Parker, whose only previous defeat came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after breaking his hand mid-fight, was making just his second appearance at light-heavyweight.
By the halfway stage, Parker had made it competitive, making life awkward for Buatsi, who worked behind a tight guard to edge the cleaner rounds.
The crowd’s patience wore thin amid frequent holding, with Parker slipping to the canvas several times during clinches.
Parker finished the stronger, but many rounds were difficult to score. Although, former world champion Carl Frampton – commentating on Dazn – had it particularly wide in favour of Parker, giving Buatsi just one round.
Buatsi moves on, but with the likes of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the road to world glory – on this evidence – still looks steep.