Roy Jones Jr. may have seen his career end in Australia at the hands of Danny Green. (Photo by Mark Kolbe / Getty Images)

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Ain't gonna be no rematch. (Or is there?)

Pretty much everybody already knew what happened in Australia earlier today, but if you somehow missed it all, Roy Jones Jr. was knocked out in the first round by heavy-handed Aussie Danny Green, who scored what may have been the most thrilling and maybe globally important victory in Australian boxing history.

With Jones (54-6, 40 KO) trying to use his speed and feel out Green early, Roy found himself trapped in the corner. It was then that Green (28-3, 25 KO) unleashed a big right hand, which thudded off of Jones' temple and put him on the mat. He was clearly on bad legs when he got up, but the fight continued. Jones covered himself up as Green pounced for the finish, and eventually, referee Howard John Foster had no choice but to stop the fight. Jones was hurt, not fighting back, and was finished.

So before Bernard Hopkins ever climbed into the ring in Philadelphia tonight, the 2010 rematch between the two living legends was off.

But Hopkins showed no signs of being let down, as he came out and routed Enrique Ornelas live on Versus from a frankly dead Liacouras Center in Philadelphia. Hopkins won on scores of 120-108, 119-109 and 118-110. Bad Left Hook scored it 119-109. It was a typical Hopkins performance, and dominant as expected.

After the fight, Hopkins shared his thoughts on the Jones loss in Australia, remarking, "You know what happens when you go over to Europe, that's why I would never go there." He argued that the fight was stopped too early, but Roy Jones himself had no problems with it. All Jones said after his fight was that he had no excuses. He lost. And that's the prevailing feeling. He lost. A 40-year old fighter of Jones' stature knows you can't just cover up like that and have referees let the fight go too long.

There was another interesting non-fight happening tonight, as Hopkins received the most overblown, ridiculous introduction in the history of boxing. That's neither here nor there, really, but it was truly absurd and must be heard.

So is the rematch off for sure?

Actually, it sounded to me like Hopkins was doing his best to hype Roy Jones Jr. as a still legitimate opponent, and like he still wants that fight to happen. Hopkins was attempting to "excuse" Roy's loss as something shady that happened in "Europe."

If they go ahead with Hopkins-Jones II as a pay-per-view event at this point, they're going to both be embarrassed by the buys the fight receives. Neither of them have drawn at all in recent years, and the last time both had major PPV fights, they went back-to-back with rotten buyrate performances, Hopkins against Kelly Pavlik in October 2008, and Jones against Joe Calzaghe the next month. I get the feeling that this rematch -- especially now -- is only for the biggest fans of both men, and I don't think there's a ton of those folks left. Hopkins has never really been any sort of major star, as great as he is, and Jones' most popular days are well in the past.

Either way, all congratulations to Danny Green for a win that probably won't get enough attention as a win for him. God knows I just spent the whole time talking mostly about Jones losing more than Green winning, and about a rematch that may or may not even happen now. And hats off to Bernard Hopkins for another dominant performance, a month and a half shy of his 45th birthday.

We'll have more on Roy Jones Jr. especially shortly.

On the Philly undercard:

• Junior welterweight prospect Danny Garcia shellacked veteran Enrique Colin, knocking him out in the second round. Garcia improved to 15-0 with his 10th stoppage.
• Featherweight prospect Derrick Wilson was upset in a four-rounder by professional opponent Guadalupe de Leon. Pretty decent little fight, but Wilson, 20, was less than impressive for certain. But with his youth, he has plenty of time to improve and bounce back.

If you want to talk spoilers for the Green-Jones fight, go here. WARNING: If you DON'T want spoilers, DO NOT click on that link.

BERNARD HOPKINS		ENRIQUE ORNELAS
	Co-Main Event

DANNY GREEN		ROY JONES JR.
	Co-Main Event

Believe it or not, this Wednesday's must-win fight for Roy Jones Jr. is actually pretty interesting. For those unfamiliar with Danny Green, I'm not going to overhype what he does, or try to sell you a man that doesn't exist.

Green is 36 years old. He twice challenged Markus Beyer for the WBC super middleweight title, getting disqualified in 2003 and decisioned in 2005. The biggest fight of his career was also one of the biggest fights in Australian boxing history, as 30,000 fans turned out in 2006 to see Green face his long press rival, Anthony Mundine. After losing to Mundine, a rematch was discussed, but has yet to come about.

Post-Mundine, Green beat a few decent, not great fighters, and then was set for a 2007 fight in America with Antonio Tarver. And let's call it what it was: Tarver ducked Green, and had no interest, ever, in fighting him. This was not a situation where internet people or any one in any part of the press went wide with misleading facts, either. Showtime, who were to broadcast Tarver-Green, had run ads for the fight. Tarver himself had talked about the fight. And then before you know it, a bait-and-switch is pulled, with Danny Santiago replacing Green.

Green had already come to the States to begin training and to get used to the time difference when he found out he would not, in fact, be fighting Tarver. So he went back to Australia for a fight with then-WBA light heavyweight titlist Stipe Drews. Green won. It was his first major belt, and after the fight, he retired.

But like most, his retirement didn't last. A year and a half later, he hit the ring again, with faint whispers of a fight with Roy Jones Jr. possibly on the horizon, and some more talk of a Mundine rematch. Two fights later, and here we are, with Green and Jones ready to square off.

And it'll be Danny Green with homefield advantage in Sydney, Australia.

Don't overlook the fact that this is Roy Jones Jr.'s first fight outside of the United States, but don't put a ton into it, either. Frankly, I don't expect Jones will receive a terribly hostile reception. Even at 40 and faded from his prime, Jones is still a major name in boxing, and his going to Australia legitimizes, in some ways, their boxing and their boxing economy. Having a living legend the stature of Roy Jones come to town to fight Danny Green is a pretty big event, and should be exciting for the Aussie fans.

Danny Green really needs to focus on one thing: Power. Danny Green has 24 knockouts in his 24 wins, and Roy Jones has a bustable chin. We know that. Tarver knocked him out with a perfect shot, and Glen Johnson put a vicious beating on him the next time out. That said, that was five years ago. Since then, he's lost to Tarver again by decision, and by decision to Joe Calzaghe.

Simply put, Green cannot play the speed game with Roy Jones. When you watch Green's fight with Mundine, it's apparent that Green is far from a speed merchant. He's a very basic fighter -- a good one, a strong one, and a tough one. But he's not hard to figure out. He comes at you, he doesn't make his intentions hidden, and there's not much to more than the usual to prepare for when Green is your opponent.

Jones cannot look past him, though. Of the two tune-up fights on Wednesday that could lead to Jones-Hopkins II, it's Roy taking the bigger risk, and rightly making the most money. Jones deserves some props for living up to his promise to fight Green, even when the Hopkins rematch was put to paper officially. He even hinted that of course he didn't really want to risk this with that money fight on the horizon, but he's proven to be a man of his word. Danny Green came back, it would seem, to fight Roy Jones. And he'll get his chance.

This year, Jones has fought twice, beating a couple of shot fighters. Omar Sheika had fought just once (in 2007) since 2005, and 2005 was also the last time Jeff Lacy looked good in the ring. I think you can gloss over Sheika very easily as nothing more than a pure bounce-back fight, but Lacy was a bit more impressive. Even given how slow, limited and worn out Lacy appears these days, Jones had some real spark in that fight. He came to impress and to end the fight before the scheduled 12 rounds, and he did so.

What it really comes down to is Jones' last 10 fights. He's got a debated win over Tarver, plus victories over Prince Badi Ajamu, Anthony Hanshaw, a bloated Tito Trinidad, Sheika and Lacy. He's got clear losses to Tarver (twice), Johnson and Calzaghe.

So where does Green fit in? For my money, and no disrespect meant to Danny Green, he's much closer in class to the likes of Ajamu, Hanshaw and Lacy than he is to Calzaghe, prime Tarver and Glen Johnson. Jones may be old, but he's not a shot fighter. Faded, aged, yes. Shot? No.

I just don't think Danny Green will get that big right hand that he'll need. If Jones fights smart, doesn't lay on the ropes and put himself in bad positions (something he's been anxious to do in recent outings), he'll win this one going away. Jones deserves to be the heavy favorite, and I think he'll win the fight. But if Green curbs that big rematch, I won't be shocked.

Danny Green and Roy Jones Jr. yukked it up in August when they fought on the same card. On Wednesday, they meet in Australia. (Photo via WAtoday.com.au)

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Danny Green and Roy Jones Jr. both came in on weight for their minor trinket cruiserweight title fight in Sydney on Wednesday. Jones weighed in at 179 1/2 pounds, with Green at 179.2.

There had been the talk that there would be a catchweight. I'd heard 185, but apparently the weight agreed upon was 180. They're both well below the normal cruiserweight limit of 200, and hardly north of the 175-pound light heavyweight limit where Jones regularly fights, and where Green fought from 2006-07 before his "retirement." Green came back weighing about 180 for a fight in April with Anthony van Niekirk, and did the same for his vacant IBO cruiserweight title fight with Julio Cesar Dominguez on the "Hook City" undercard in August.

Danny Green has been a Jones target for months now, and they even managed to get a "championship" on the line for the fight, which means if Roy wins, he can claim a cruiserweight title to go with his middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight belts.

If Jones and long time rival Bernard Hopkins (who fights in Philadelphia) both win on Wednesday, the two meet next year, tentatively in March, for a rematch 17 years in the making. We'll have full previews of both Green-Jones and Hopkins-Ornelas tomorrow.

Reminder: With Green-Jones airing at 3am ET in the States, spoilers will abound at the various news outlets before the fight ever airs in the United States. The Versus broadcast doesn't go on until 8pm ET on Wednesday. Green-Jones will be shown on tape delay. Spoilers for Green-Jones are completely forbidden on Bad Left Hook. If you spoil results in any way, you will be banned.

Roy Jones Jr. is having trouble down under. The boxer's sparring partners have been denied entry into Australia, where Jones fights on December 2. (Photo by Al Bello / Getty Images)

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There's trouble brewing in Australia, and it would not shock me if the Danny Green-Roy Jones Jr. fight on December 2 is close to being called off. Jones' sparring partners were denied entry into the country, and the Daily Telegraph says the situation isn't pretty:

Several of Jones's sparring partners flew into Australia yesterday ahead of next Wednesday's blockbuster at Acer Arena, but were denied entry when Australian immigration officials discovered they had not disclosed their full criminal histories.

Shortly after, Green's manager Justin Manolikos received a frantic call from Jones' camp to "sort it out".

Manolikos had a simple message for the Americans: "It's not my problem."

Instead, he called the Jones camp a "bunch of cowboys". "What do they want us to do?" Manolikos asked.

"Call the Prime Minister and say 'Let these nice guys in'? Surely they should have done it the proper way."

Every time Green has talked about Jones being such a professional in the lead-up to this fight, I don't know, it seemed like he was biting his tongue a bit. This is a massive money fight for him, and a win would do big things for his career. But with this latest incident, Green is speaking out:

"Justin is a boxing promoter, he's not a foreign affairs minister, and his hands are tied up dealing with enough of their bulls**t without having to wipe their backside," Green said.

Jones has hinted that he would have preferred to not have this fight prior to a 2010 rematch with Bernard Hopkins, and if Jones decides to pull out late, just don't be surprised. Roy has been better in recent years about promoting his fights and being a pro, but don't forget that there was a large portion of his career where he was considered a pain to deal with by other fighters, promoters, TV networks, etc., and it was no secret then. This is to be Jones' first fight off of US soil.

Still, if he can't get sparring, why would he risk a potential big money fight with Hopkins on fighting a perfectly dangerous Green when not properly prepared? Yes, Jones and his camp should have taken the proper steps to get these guys into Australia (or arranged for sparring partners that could get in), but they didn't, and now Jones is in a tough spot. It's his team's fault, and it'd be a move worth criticizing, but he's got to be considering canceling.

Bernard Hopkins, 44, may be boxing's most notable "senior," but he's not the only one. Combat sports in general are seeing athletes push on into their mid-40s as top competitors. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

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Bernard Hopkins will turn 45 on January 15. One day later, his old rival Roy Jones Jr. turns 41.

And if they have their way, the two of them will meet sometime in the months after, in a rematch that has been brewing for almost 17 years.

Both have obstacles to get past on December 2. Hopkins will look to shake off some rust against tough Mexican Enrique Ornelas in Philadelphia, Hopkins' hometown where he's never lost (10-0 career). Jones will be in Australia to take on minor cruiserweight titlist Danny Green. Should both win, the papers are already signed and drawn up. They'll meet again in 2010. They fought way back in 1993, with Jones winning a decision that Hopkins considers the only legitimate loss of his career.

They are probably the two best of boxing's 40-plus contingent, but it's a demographic that is changing, and changing the way we think about athletic primes. In other sports, a lot of these late-career surges have come from the use of performance-enhancing substances. Neither Hopkins nor Jones has ever failed a post-fight drug test. The same can't be said of 41-year old James Toney, who has done so twice, but Toney, too, continues on in search of glory.

Really, we're seeing what happens with the continued evolution of training, nutrition, and strength and conditioning coaches that have made age if not nothing more than a number, then at least closer to that old cliche becoming a genuine reality.

Evander Holyfield, 47, keeps looking for another heavyweight title fight. He does so foolishly, but the Holyfield types are becoming more the exception than the rule. Even Jones, once thought to be washed up after back-to-back knockout losses to Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson a few years back, has rebounded to spring back into legit contention at 175 pounds yet again. Fellow former heavyweight titleholder Oliver McCall, 44, continues to fight as well.

Current WBC cruiserweight titlist Giaccobe Fragomeni of Italy turned 40 in August. Light heavyweight has been chided as a Senior's Tour in boxing the last couple of years, but Glen Johnson (40) and Antonio Tarver (40) are still in the division's top ten for legitimate reasons. Tarver has given no indication that he plans to keep his career going following his second loss to Chad Dawson in May, so he might or might not be out of the conversation soon. Junior middleweight contender Verno Phillips turns 40 in just a couple of weeks.

It's a select few, and Hopkins is certainly one of a kind in boxing. He has never truly slowed down from his prime; he's not the same "Executioner" that made mincemeat of the middleweight division for 10 years, no, but he's a top pound-for-pound fighter even still.

Yet you can't help but wonder if this is going to keep becoming more and more the norm. Shane Mosley is 38 and as a welterweight, has shown no actual signs of getting slower, weaker or older. Floyd Mayweather Jr. is only 32, but has fought in such a way and is so much more than reflexes that if he wanted to, he seems like the kind of guy that could go on forever as a top boxer.

In MMA, some similar things have happened. Surely everyone has heard of Randy Couture by now, the 46-year-old UFC superstar whose career has been amazing to watch. Couture was pulling "Hopkins over Pavlik"-style beatdowns before before Bernard really knew who Pavlik was. Couture has slowed, yes, but still holds his own to say the least.

And Couture is rumored to be facing Mark Coleman at UFC 109 in February. Coleman turns 45 in December. Couture-Coleman nearly happened 11 years old, but was scrapped when Couture was injured. In some ways, Couture-Coleman and Jones-Hopkins II could mirror one another. They're both fights past their due dates, but with some intrigue in both cases, and there will be a fair number of fans looking to turn back the clock with the fighters for both of those bouts.

Fighting is still a young man's game. Scan the top fighters, and generally we're talking about guys who are 26 to 32 years of age. But the dinosaurs are getting harder and harder to kill off, and no matter how many times the younger generation of fighters keeps saying they'll retire before 35, I keep wondering whose fights we'll still be talking about coming next week in 2020.

The December 2 fight between Roy Jones Jr. and Danny Green will air on the Versus Network in the United States. Versus will also show Bernard Hopkins' return against Enrique Ornelas on the same evening. (Photo via resources2.news.com.au)

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Boxing fans in the United States (who don't have DirecTV) will be treated to a special two-fight night of the sweet science on the Versus Network on December 2, as the network has picked up a same-day tape delay airing of Roy Jones Jr.'s fight in Australia with Danny Green to go along with their airing of Bernard Hopkins' return to the ring. Hopkins faces Enrique Ornelas in Philadelphia.

The fights, of course, are being set up to get both Jones and Hopkins ready for a 2010 rematch.

I'm glad Versus will be picking up the Jones fight so that we aren't forced to pay PPV prices to see Jones and Green, although Danny Green is Roy's best opponent since Joe Calzaghe took him to the woodshed in 2008. But as much as I thought early on that I was all on board with Jones-Hopkins II, I think I'm starting to change my mind on that one. It seemed neat in theory, but here we are inching toward the reality of the 45-year old Hopkins and the 41-year old Jones (who both celebrate birthdays on back-to-back days in January), and it's starting to really hit home.

Like, seriously? A rematch of a 17-year old bout that wasn't even a good fight?

My mind might wind up changing again, but I also know I'm entirely not too keen on paying the $45 HBO PPV pricetag that Jones-Hopkins II will carry. It's just not a relevant enough fight, especially when I know for damn sure the undercard will stink and that frankly the fight itself will probably be a bore, too. Both of them can talk a big game about going for the KO to get 60% of the purse, but I don't think Jones has enough pop to stop Bernard, and Hopkins has never really fought for knockouts. Do 45-year old dogs learn new tricks? And even if you consider both top five at light heavyweight, which is easy to do, what's next for either after that? Overdue retirement?

I do still find it to be an intriguing style matchup, given that Bernard has struggled with quicker guys that make him work hard in recent years, but is it really that interesting? I don't know. We'll see. After all, I've already changed my mind once.

Also, the Green-Jones fight, for those wondering, is for Green's paper trinket at cruiserweight, and from what I understand they'll be fighting with a 185-pound limit.

The talk between Danny Green and Roy Jones Jr. is heating up a bit as the two inch closer to their December 2 fight in Sydney. (Photo via images.watoday.com.au)

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The only thing standing in the way of that long-awaited, long-overdue rematch between Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins in 2010 is the December 2 fight between Jones and Danny Green in Sydney, Australia, and that fight is now heating up in the Aussie press.

Yesterday, Jones said he would have preferred to skip out on the bout:

''I'm in a very difficult situation. I respect Green. I know we signed and I thought maybe I should just pull out. But I can't deny Danny. This is one of the biggest fights in the history of his country. This is how it is. So I'll give him the biggest fight in his country and that will get me ready for Hopkins and the biggest fight in my country. I'd rather let the Green fight go, but I'm a man of my word. It wouldn't be fair to back out.''

Despite Roy's declaration of respect for Danny Green, the Australian wasn't so kind:

"I can see it, I have this recurring vision that I've got and haven't had this feeling for a long time. I can envisage an earlier than 12th round stoppage by myself against Roy Jones Jr. Knocking Roy Jones out is going to put me right at the top of the mountain and to beat him in the form he's in is going to make it more of an achievement. The respect's gone, it's in the past. The bloke's coming to knock me out and that's a very personal thing to do in front of my family and friends."

Jones responded:

"It all depends on how Danny comes out there. If he's going to hit me hard as hell early, because I know he's strong, he's quick, it'll piss me off and from there, there we go. Danny brings what he brings but I don't think he will see the 12th round."

Jones is also talking about being "world champion" in a fifth division, since Green will be putting up the IBO cruiserweight title he was awarded for beating Julio Cesar Dominguez on the Jones-Lacy undercard in August. The IBO title isn't really a recognized major title at all (though to be fair, I think I agree with their philosophies on ranking fighters a lot more than I do any other sanctioning body's), and it's a hollow cruiserweight title at best should he win.

For the record, Green is a former super middleweight contender and light heavyweight titlist, and I think the IBO cruiser strap was put on the line against Dominguez simply so that if and when Green-Jones came about, Jones could be fighting for a title in another division. Green weighed a shade under 180 for the fight, and I don't expect either man to come in much over their more natural 175 pounds for their December fight.

There's still been no official word on whether or not Green-Jones will be another small Jones pay-per-view in the States, as it would take place on a Wednesday in Australia, which is the day of most of the big Aussie fights. It'd seem a waste to not try and bleed some American money out of this, even though they'll both be making a good chunk of change in what should be one of the biggest fights ever on Australian soil.

The last time we saw Bernard Hopkins, he was giving Kelly Pavlik a boxing lesson. The next time we see him, he might be looking to avenge a nearly two-decades old loss to fellow legend Roy Jones Jr. (Photo via a.espncdn.com)

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Before anyone gets TOO excited, do remember that this has happened before. These two have agreed to fight and then the money becomes an issue and nothing happens.

But, Dan Rafael of ESPN.com reports that Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins have agreed in principle to a 2010 rematch, a quick follow-up on Jones discussing the fight just the other day. The deal is pretty simple. They're agreeing to a 50-50 split, unless there is a knockout. In that event, 60% goes to the winner, 40% to the loser. It's incentive for them to bring it and go for the finish.

Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer and Square Ring's John Wirt hammered out the deal. The fight depends on Jones winning his December 2 bout in Australia with Danny Green, a dangerous enough fighter to beat Jones for sure, and now an even more interesting fight.

Like I said the other day, I'm happy with it. I'd LOVE if they'd not try to sell this thing on pay-per-view, but they will. Both are egomaniacs -- no offense to either of them, they've earned their opinions of themselves -- and will want plenty of money to make this happen, and it's probably the biggest fight for either of them, too. But neither of them exactly sold like hotcakes in their last PPV outings, back-to-back in October and November of 2008. Hopkins did just 195,000 buys against Kelly Pavlik and has never been a major drawing card, and Jones did 225,000 the next month against Joe Calzaghe, less than half of what HBO and the fighters/promoters were projecting.

As a pay-per-view, this looks like the Seniors Tour fight some may criticize it for being. As a World Championship Boxing event, it's very inviting, a treat for fans of both men. But if the promoters and networks feel it out and believe this can make money on PPV, they'll go there, and I'll be there to buy it. Roy still has a very loyal fanbase that has never abandoned him, and B-Hop has his fans, too. We'll see how it all shakes out from here, and this fight is no guarantee yet, but it all looks good for now.

Roy Jones Jr. says he's received an offer from Bernard Hopkins. The two would potentially fight in early 2010, a rematch of a fight that happened in 1993. (Photo via a.espncdn.com)

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Speaking with Ben Thompson of FightHype, Roy Jones Jr. revealed that Bernard Hopkins has agreed to a 50-50 split for a potential February rematch between the two living legends...with a wrinkle. If the fight ends in a knockout, the winner receives 60%, with the loser getting 40%.

When asked why Roy thinks Bernard supposedly changed his mind about a 50-50 split, he had this to say:

"I guess the power of the people. When people read that interview you did, I think they probably realized that it wasn't Roy holding up the fight, you know what I mean? Before they were saying Roy this and Roy that, but it ain't Roy. Roy ready to do whatever the people want to see Roy do. Roy ain't got no reason to fight Bernard. Roy ain't chasing Bernard for no reason. Somewhere he had in his head that I'm chasing him. I'm not chasing him."

Jones said a few weeks ago that he believes the public isn't interested in Hopkins fighting Tomasz Adamek or Chad Dawson, and I thought that might be interesting to look at, so we did a small poll and it turns out Roy might just be right. 344 people answered in that poll, and 216 said they'd prefer Hopkins fight Jones in a rematch for his next bout. 72 picked Dawson, 45 picked Adamek, and 11 picked the ever-dangerous Other.

And then the more I thought about it, the more I liked the fight, for both of them. Hopkins going up and winning the legit championship at cruiserweight from Adamek would be quite meaningful and yet another feather in his cap, but it's no gimme fight whatsoever, and I really do believe that poll might be the real deal. The public would rather see Jones-Hopkins II. It's two legendary names going at it in a rematch that is long overdue. There's no question Roy won the first fight, but there's also no question Hopkins got a lot better after that.

I also still believe that a fast-handed fighter that can outwork Hopkins is a guy that can beat Hopkins. Jones hasn't beaten an opponent on that level in years now, but B-Hop might still be tailor made for him, even considering that Hopkins is still universally considered a pound-for-pound top ten fighter and Jones is considered shot by most.

Jones also said he's even received a contract:

"[Golden Boy] sent a bad contract, but of course, my lawyer John Wirt is on top of that. We won't be signing that one, but we'll figure it out."

And he added that he believes the fight is being talked about for February, but that he'd fight in January. He also has no plans to scrap his December 2 fight in Australia with Danny Green.

Some people might see it as a Seniors Tour event, but I say bring on Jones-Hopkins II. There's legit dislike between them, they're talking about a very interesting way of doing the split, and I think they're two guys that genuinely want to shut the other one up after all these years.