Mr Hona told him he had a "smart mouth" and challenged him to a fight in a gym at their workplace on the afternoon of October 17 last year.
The defendant took his shirt off and the men advanced on each other, trading punches.
Eventually, the scuffling duo ended up on the floor, where Davis got the upper hand, straddling the victim and putting him in a headlock.
CCTV footage of the incident showed Mr Hona trying to get to his feet but he was eventually dragged to the ground again.
Justice Susan Thomas told the court today that during the key minute in the video, the pair became obscured and it was unclear for how long Davis applied the headlock or when the victim became unconscious.
Eventually, Davis was pictured putting his clothes back on and returning to work.
He left Mr Hona in a position in which his airway was compromised.
He told co-workers that he had left the older man unconscious on his back.
When they arrived at the gym, he was unresponsive.
The father of seven was pronounced dead at 2.30pm after unsuccessful CPR efforts.
Mr Hona was overweight and had an enlarged heart, among other health difficulties, the court heard.
When spoken to by the police, Davis told them: "This is bullshit. This is my life; all because he wanted to be the man."
While the judge outlined the facts of the case, various members of Mr Hona's family loudly left the court and could be heard screaming in the hallway.
Victim impact statements read on behalf of Mr Hona's sisters and wife underscored those feelings of frustration.
"You have hurt us in a way we can never describe," one said.
Though Davis' lawyer, David Hoskin, said his client was remorseful, probation staff were more sceptical.
When they interviewed the defendant, he was reluctant to talk, Justice Thomas said.
Davis was described as having little insight into his offending, no clear remorse and said he was unwilling to do rehabilitative programmes while in prison.
Davis has nine previous criminal convictions for violence, and was on bail when he killed Mr Hona.
