"I used the least force I thought would end it," Byron replied. "I wasn't there to hurt him. I was there to work."
Whitmore questioned whether Byron might have enjoyed publicly embarrassing a champion who had mocked him. The question brought a slight movement to Byron's face. He acknowledged that the insults had hurt and that his employer's conduct had been humiliating. Then he pointed out that feelings of humiliation did not establish who initiated physical contact in the ring. The fact that he had reasons to dislike Colt did not mean he had wanted to fight him.
Nora was called to testify and carried a tablet containing the original recording. She explained where she had been standing, when she had started filming, and why she had preserved the file without editing it. The court staff connected the video to the monitor. This time, the audience watched Colt ignore volunteers, point at Byron, direct degrading remarks toward him, and leave the ring to seize his forearm. They heard Byron decline. They saw Wade nod and the announcer look uncertain.
The room changed as the video progressed. Nobody interrupted when Byron's voice came from the speakers, asking Colt to let go. The walk toward the ring looked less like participation than a man choosing not to create a scene in a crowded aisle. When Colt threw the first punch, several spectators in the gallery drew a sharp breath. The takedown itself looked different because the force that preceded it was no longer missing.
Judge Calloway asked for the sequence to be replayed. She watched the physical contact in the hallway, then the initial exchange in the ring, then the moment Byron released Colt. She asked the prosecutor and counsel to address the difference between the two recordings. Whitmore tried to explain that the security version had been selected because it showed the relevant physical action more clearly. The judge observed that excluding the beginning also excluded who initiated the confrontation.
Nora testified about the history she had recorded. She identified the clip in which Colt kicked Byron's chair, the heavy bag incident, and the sequence of schedule changes after she complained. The judge allowed the information only to the extent it was relevant to the parties' knowledge and conduct, cautioning everyone not to mistake a hearing for a general trial of the gym's culture. Nora accepted the limitation. She had enough direct evidence of the night's events without asking the court to rule on every cruel thing Colt had said before.
Whitmore questioned Nora about whether she had disliked Colt before the event. She answered that she had objected to his behavior but had coached athletes in the same facility professionally. He asked whether her friendship with Byron had influenced what she filmed. She replied that the camera recorded what happened, including Byron choosing not to respond to several insults.