The original invitation from the Black Hounds was incredibly restrictive: it was only for one specific venue, and only allowed for one spectator and one participant. Max's intricate plan to deploy his forces across three locations was instantly complicated.
He had to devise a more solid, multi-pronged approach to sort everything out and maximize their profit.
For himself, Max would remain the primary spectator, the one making the bets, sticking to the single invited spot. As for the fighter he had decided to put in, that was Stephen.
There were multiple reasons he had picked Stephen over Darno. One was that Darno wasn't really part of the Billion Bloodline Gang; he was just an employee of one of the legitimate businesses. There was a greater chance that Stephen, a core Ranger, would get into trouble, and Max needed him close.
