British light-heavyweight Buatsi earned a win yet underwhelming debut to life under recent management with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic bronze medallist's work rate appeared to earn him a split decision in a tight 10-round contest at the Co-op Live Arena.
But the challenger found success, landing some telling clean blows in a match where the techniques never quite clicked, with constant grabbing disrupting the fight.
Two judges scored it 96-94 for to the winner, with the final judge a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my greatest showing but what defines champions? They win," the victor stated in the ring as he was greeted with negative reactions from the crowd.
The British fighter bounced back after his initial pro loss - an memorable fight with his previous opponent in last winter - to claim a 20th pro success.
Some ringside observers felt Parker, thirty-one, should have been awarded the decision but the contender suffered the second loss of his 28-match career.
Buatsi Earns Win in Slow Match
Buatsi's progress has stalled in recent times through promotional disputes and extended periods of lack of fights.
Once tipped as the future of UK boxing, he now finds himself trying to realize his potential - perhaps in what appears to be a ultimate opportunity - under new promotional backing.
He began cautiously, with both competitors willing to take risks in a calculated initial rounds.
Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in two years ago after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was competing in only his second fight at the higher weight class.
By the middle rounds, the underdog had made it competitive, causing problems for the favorite, who worked behind a tight guard to barely take the more effective stanzas.
The audience's tolerance decreased because of frequent holding, with the challenger falling to the floor multiple occasions during clinches.
The underdog closed well, but several stanzas were challenging to assess. However, former world champion the boxing analyst - providing analysis for the broadcast network - had it particularly wide for the challenger, awarding Buatsi just a single round.
Buatsi advances, but with the presence of hard hitter Benavidez, and Russian champion Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the path to championship success - based on this performance - still appears challenging.
Hatton Homage Inspires Manchester Derby Battle
In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur beat Bradley Rea by divided decision in a excellent all-Manchester fight to capture the European light-heavyweight belt.
The arena grew hushed for a deeply poignant tribute ahead of the contest as 10 bells rang in remembrance of the city's native Hatton, who succumbed 46 years old in recently.
It was the initial significant broadcast match card in the urban center since Hatton's death. As the concluding sound disappeared, the silence became a roar of "there's only one Hatton".
The action within the ring equaled the feeling. Arthur was knocked down by a significant blow squarely on the chin in the early round, rising shakily to his feet on the count of eight.
But the traditional red shorts of the fighter soon came forward again. From the other corner, the opponent - in competitive blue - was marked up soon, noticeable damage appearing under his orbital area as the fighters landed hard punches.
The challenger, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but the champion, thirty-four, matched the intensity with stinging uppercuts as the pace seldom decreased over twelve rounds.
The victor barely secured the verdict with judges scorecards of draw, narrow lead and clearer margin, but each competitor were relentless and full of heart, all the qualities their hero the legend represented.
