In any serious conflict, good intelligence can be worth more than another hundred men, assuming those men are not particularly good at keeping secrets. Boxing is hardly a war, but the principle still applies: knowing what your opponent can do before you have to deal with it is generally considered useful.
By now, the footage of Elliot and Ryoma's sparring has made its way to Celeb Mercer's hotel room, where it is playing again on a flat-screen television. Celeb watches alongside head trainer Marcus Vane and three assistant coaches, including Travis, the man who secretly recorded the entire session.
"Anybody recognize you in there, Travis?" Marcus asks without taking his eyes off the screen.
"I don't think so," Travis replies. "Once I got inside, everybody was watching the ring. Nobody really paid attention to me."
Marcus gives a small nod and says nothing more. Neither does anyone else, including Celeb, whose attention remains fixed on the footage without giving much away.
