LAS VEGAS -- All of a sudden, the question of who enters the ring first Saturday night didn't mean that much to Roy Jones Jr.

He had bigger things on his mind -- like giving Antonio Tarver a whipping and then getting together with Mike Tyson for a heavyweight megafight to finish off his career.

Jones quickly ended a dispute over which fighter would make the traditional champion's entrance when he conceded the honor to Tarver, whose light heavyweight title is at stake in the fight.

"He can come into the ring last. I don't care," Jones said Wednesday. "I'm leaving last."

The camps of the two fighters had bickered over which fighter would enter the ring last almost from the time the fight was made. For a time, it appeared as though the fight might not even happen because each fighter insisted on coming into the ring last.

Nevada boxing officials were ready to flip a coin at Wednesday's final prefight press conference to settle the impasse, but Jones beat them to it by saying Tarver could come into the ring last.

The wrangling over ring entrances only served to further irritate Jones, who was already angry with Tarver over his contention that Jones has been ducking him for years.

Jones has vowed to make Tarver pay for it in what is likely his last fight at 175 pounds.

"I'm madder than a son of a gun," Jones said.

Tarver won the light heavyweight title only after Jones vacated it to fight John Ruiz for the WBA heavyweight crown in March. Jones won that fight, then got a reprieve from the WBA to allow him to move back down to light heavyweight for one fight without giving up his title.

While Jones' camp argued that he should go into the ring last because he never lost his light heavyweight titles and is a heavyweight champion, Tarver wasn't about to give up his right to go into the ring last without a fight.

"We made a lot of concessions to make this fight take place," Tarver said. "There was no way I could change this game unless I got a chance in the ring."

Jones, considered by most as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, is an 8-1 favorite to beat Tarver, a 1996 Olympic bronze medalist, and regain the WBC 175-pound title he gave up to fight Ruiz.

Assuming he does, the 34-year-old plans to fight only once more -- against Tyson in a bout that could be boxing's richest ever.

Jones and Tyson talked at a music awards show in Florida a few weeks ago, and Jones said Tyson seemed eager to make the fight despite his ongoing personal troubles.

"I think I've got an 85 percent chance of pulling that off," Jones said. "He's not as flaky as they say he is. Tyson will do what he has to do to make this fight happen."

A fight with Tyson would have to overcome a lot of hurdles before it is ever made. Tyson hasn't fought since knocking out Clifford Etienne in the first round in February and he split with his manager and later filed for bankruptcy, citing debts of $27 million.

Another problem is that Don King has the right to promote any heavyweight title defenses by Jones under a contract Jones signed to fight Ruiz. Tyson is suing King for $100 million and has said he would never fight for him again.

Still, Jones was hopeful.

"It would be the biggest thing to happen in the history of boxing to date," he said.

First, though, Jones has to get around Tarver, a fighter he seems to have developed a real anger for. The two posed at Wednesday's press conference jaw-to-jaw while talking trash.

Tarver, a southpaw who is 21-1 with 17 knockouts, says Jones hasn't faced a challenge like this before.

"I've proven to be head and shoulders above the rest," Tarver said. "It's my time and I will not be denied."