UK light heavyweight Buatsi earned a win yet underwhelming debut to his career under fresh promotional backing with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic bronze medallist's activity level appeared to earn him a judges' verdict in a close 10-round contest at the Manchester venue.
But Parker had his moments, connecting with powerful clean blows in a contest where the approaches never quite clicked, with excessive holding marring the fight.
The officials scored it 96-94 for to Buatsi, with the third a even score.
"It wasn't my greatest performance but what do champions do? They prevail," Buatsi said in the ring as he was faced disapproval from the audience.
The British fighter returned to winning ways after his initial pro loss - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in February - to claim a 20th pro success.
Some ringside observers felt Parker, thirty-one, should have been awarded the victory but the contender experienced the second defeat of his 28-fight career.
His career development has plateaued in recent years through promotional disputes and long spells of inactivity.
Once tipped as the rising talent of the British fight scene, he now stands trying to fulfil that early promise - possibly in what appears to be a last chance - under fresh management.
He started carefully, with the two boxers ready to be aggressive in a tentative early stages.
Parker, whose only previous defeat came at the lower weight class against John Ryder in two years ago after suffering a hand injury during the bout, was participating in his second bout at light heavyweight.
By the middle rounds, Parker had made it competitive, creating difficulties for Buatsi, who utilized a tight guard to edge the more effective periods.
The audience's tolerance wore thin because of regular grabbing, with the challenger slipping to the canvas several times during close exchanges.
Parker closed well, but several stanzas were hard to judge. Although, former world champion Carl Frampton - working with Dazn - had it particularly wide for the challenger, giving Buatsi just a single round.
Buatsi advances, but with the caliber of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the path to championship success - judging by this showing - still looks steep.
In the supporting bout, Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by close verdict in a outstanding all-Manchester contest to capture the European light-heavyweight championship.
The arena fell silent for a profoundly moving tribute prior to the bout as a bell ceremony tolled in remembrance of Manchester's own Ricky Hatton, who succumbed aged 46 in recently.
It was the premier televised boxing event in the urban center since Hatton's passing. As the concluding sound faded, the quiet gave way to a shout of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".
The action inside the ropes matched the sentiment. The eventual winner was floored by a left hook directly to the chin in the early round, rising shakily to his position on the eight count.
But the red-colored shorts of Arthur soon came forward again. Across the ring, Rea - in opposing blue - was injured quickly, significant bruising forming under his face as the duo landed hard punches.
The challenger, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but Arthur, 34, fought fire with fire with stinging uppercuts as the intensity hardly diminished over twelve rounds.
The victor barely secured the verdict with judges scorecards of draw, close margin and 115-112, but the two athletes were relentless and full of heart, everything their inspiration the legend represented.
Elara Vance is a seasoned gaming journalist with over a decade of experience covering casino trends and slot machine innovations.