Danny Green may be the toast of Australian sport but in America, the home of big-time, bigger-money boxing, his obliteration of Roy Jones Jnr has done little to send his star rocketing to the top of the pops.
Most major American websites were slow to digest the news, or barely interested at all, with big-hitters like ESPN and Sports Illustrated mostly burying the story, instead focusing on the possible March match-up between pound-for-pound kingpins Floyd Mayweather Jnr and Manny Pacquiao, for which negotiations are underway.
Most stories and blogs, however, interpreted the result in terms of the implications for the proposed superfight between Jones and Bernard Hopkins, which had been scheduled for March as long as Jones Jr dispatched Green and "The Executioner" defeats Enrique Ornelas, which he did this afternoon with ease.
So intently was Hopkins following the Green-Jones fight that he put the loss down to geography, of sorts - "You know what happens when you go over to Europe, that's why I would never go there."
That fight appears to be all but off the books now, given the manner in which Jones Jr succumbed to a flurry of blows from Green in Sydney last night, with Golden Boy Promotions saying the loss voids any deal.
Some US analysts were critical of Jones taking on a dangerous power puncher like Green, which has now put what would have been his last shot at a a career-ending jackpot bout in severe doubt, although Jones has already started the excuses, telling the Los Angeles Times through his publicist he didn't think the bout should have been stopped.
"No way they should've stopped the fight, [I] had [myself] all back together and ready to go," Jones' publicist, Mercedes Ganon, was quoted as saying.
But few were predicting Hopkins, 46, would now take on Green, who remains an anomaly to the American boxing media and isn't a huge drawcard on any pay television deals in the States.
Dan Rafael, on ESPN, hardly mentioned Green in his wrap-up but did flag the possibility of Green fighting light heavyweight star Chad Dawson, who has been seeking a bout with Hopkins.
On the Bleacher Report, Nick Tylwalk urged Jones Jr to hang up the gloves once and for all after Green put the exclamation point on what has been a steady career decline.
"In his prime, Jones' athleticism and speed allowed him to do things other boxers simply couldn't. Once those physical advantages started to fade, he became mortal in a hurry, a fighter who was still dangerous but no longer someone who had opponents beaten mentally before they even stepped into the ring," Tylwalk wrote.
"With that in mind, maybe it was inevitable that his career would end like this; that he'd need to be beaten up one more time before he realised it was over. Green may have just done Jones a favour, keeping him from a similar fate at the hands of long-time rival Hopkins."
The sentiment was echoed by blog commenters, who suggested Jones Jr go back to raising chickens or continue his occasional work as a ringside analyst instead of tarnishing his glittering legacy.
"Roy needs to give it up. Was a great fighter but clearly is past his prime. Needs to go away and either do TV or find another way to amuse himself. Continuing to fight and ruin his legacy is just sad ...", wrote Jason Kendall on USA Today.
At least Green is being mentioned in dispatches by the boxing match-makers. His longtime domestic rival, Anthony Mundine, only appears in the wash-up as backgrounder to Danny Green's crowning moment.
Source: brisbanetimes.com.au
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