British light heavyweight Buatsi secured a victory yet unimpressive start to his career under recent management with a decision win over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic bronze medallist's punch output likely gained him a judges' verdict in a close 10-round fight at the Manchester venue.
But the challenger had his moments, delivering effective individual punches in a contest where the techniques failed to mesh, with frequent clinching spoiling the action.
The officials had it 96-94 for to the winner, with the final judge a 95-95 draw.
"It wasn't my greatest display but what do champions do? They win," the victor commented in the ringside as he was faced negative reactions from the spectators.
The Londoner returned to winning ways after his initial pro loss - an memorable fight with his previous opponent in February - to claim a 20th pro success.
Various analysts thought Parker, 31, merited the decision but the Derbyshire fighter suffered the second loss of his 28-match career.
Buatsi Earns Win in Uneventful Match
His career development has plateaued in recent times through promotional disputes and considerable time of inactivity.
Earlier forecast as the future of British boxing, he now stands trying to realize his potential - perhaps in what feels like a last chance - under fresh management.
He started carefully, with both competitors ready to overcommit in a cagey 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 in the contest, was participating in his second bout at light heavyweight.
By the halfway stage, Parker had made it competitive, creating difficulties for the favorite, who operated with a protective stance to edge the more effective periods.
The audience's tolerance diminished because of constant clinching, with the challenger falling to the floor several times during grappling.
The underdog closed well, but multiple periods were challenging to assess. Nevertheless, ex-champion Carl Frampton - commentating on the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, awarding Buatsi just a single round.
Buatsi moves on, but with the presence of heavy hitter Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol dominating the weight class, the journey to titles - judging by this showing - still appears challenging.
Ricky Hatton Memorial Inspires Manchester Derby Fight
In the secondary fight, Arthur beat Bradley Rea by close verdict in a outstanding all-Manchester fight to win the European light-heavyweight championship.
The stadium became quiet for a profoundly moving homage ahead of the contest as ten bells rang in memory of local hero Hatton, who died aged 46 in recently.
It was the initial significant broadcast boxing event in the location since the passing of Hatton. As the concluding sound ended, the silence gave way to a roar 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, getting up unsteadily to his position on the count of eight.
But the red-colored attire of the fighter soon came forward again. From the other corner, the opponent - in rival City blue - was marked up soon, significant bruising developing under his eye as the pair exchanged hard punches.
Rea, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but the champion, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with effective uppercuts as the action rarely dropped over 12 rounds.
The victor narrowly won the verdict with scoring tallies of 114-114, 115-113 and wider gap, but the two athletes were determined and brave, everything their idol Hatton embodied.
