Scary Silence Follows Roy Jones Knockout

You could hear the glass chin shatter all the way from Memphis to Pensacola.

It was not the kind of happy ending you expect from a guy who was on his way to living-legend status. Superstars aren't supposed to get knocked out, at least not like this, not this quick and easy.

Not this often.

You're not supposed to see champions sprawled out on their back with their eyes closed, a cold towel stuffed under their head and a doctor crouched above them, peering into their eyes for any sign of life.

Though it's rare, legends are supposed to step away from it all gracefully, leaving on their own terms, Lennox Lewis winning and then waving good-bye to everyone before it was too late, leaving while the leaving was still good.

But there it was, the overhand right no one knew about or expected.

Roy Jones Jr. didn't get knocked out in the ninth round Saturday night as much as he got diced, chopped and sauteed. Served cold. Stopped twice in two fights in what's becoming an ugly habit in a long summer.

Glenn Johnson, not known as a giant killer and not much more than a stranger to most of us, landed an overhand right that was quick, sweet and history making, one of those sneaky punches you don't see until you're suddenly on your back wondering why you're looking up into the lights.

For Jones, the hard road back from his not-so-stunning-anymore second-round knockout loss to Antonio Tarver this past May turned out to be a dangerous dead end. He came looking for redemption and instead, ran head first into Johnson, a light-heavyweight champion of little renown who was 8-9-2 over his last 19 fights. That kind of record barely qualifies you for a six-round prelim.

But tell that to RJ.

Even Johnson admits he's not the best out there.

“I just fight the best,” he said after beating someone who used to be the best.

It was as though Tarver cracked open the cover protecting Jones, and Johnson ripped it off.

So now what?

Jones might want to consider spending some quality time with his roosters and working on his hook shot from the high post.

He can fish and sing and join the TV booth and remember what it was like to be young, immortal and invincible.

And he can sit back knowing he's in fine company.

In what's been a rough summer for the great ones, Mike Tyson, Oscar De La Hoya, and Roy Jones Jr., have all been stopped in the last few months.

At one time or another, they were the most feared and respected names in boxing. They kept the fight game alive. Is there anyone left out there?

The silence is scary.