Referee's withdrawal leaves commission with black eye

      As boxing commissions go, the Nevada Athletic Commission is regarded as well as Ken Griffey Jr.
      But even Griffey occasionally goes 0-for-4 with four strikeouts, and that's what the commission did in its handling of the referee issue for tonight's World Boxing Association heavyweight championship fight.
      The Mike Tyson camp on Wednesday announced its protest of the appointment of Mitch Halpern as referee for the fight. Halpern refereed Holyfield-Tyson I, which Holyfield won by an 11th-round knockout Nov. 9 at the MGM Grand Garden.
      The commission heard the Tyson appeal Thursday and, by a 4-1 vote, kept Halpern as the referee, with Luther Mack the dissenting vote.
      But around 11 p.m. Thursday, Halpern phoned commission executive director Marc Ratner and, saying he "didn't want to be the focus," withdrew as the referee. He was replaced by Mills Lane.
      Don't think for a moment that Halpern jumped off the cliff willingly. He was no doubt pushed.
      Halpern is one of the best young referees in the world and never would have willingly given up the year's most glamorous assignment, let alone the $10,000 payday that went with it.
      There are a number of bad guys in this melodrama. Many might want to point the finger at Tyson co-managers John Horne and Rory Holloway, as well as the man behind the throne, promoter Don King. But, in this case, they aren't the real villains.
      As Tyson's managers, it is Horne's and Holloway's responsibility to fight vigorously on their client's behalf and to get him every edge they can. Obviously, King was the person pulling the strings, but it would be difficult to castigate Horne and Holloway too much for standing up for their client.
      The first mistake in this malodorous episode occurred when Mack voted against retaining Halpern. After the protest was heard, the vote should have been unanimous in favor of Halpern, to show the commission backed its officials and believed completely in their integrity and ability to do the job.
      How was Halpern to make the tough calls when one of his bosses went in front of the world and said he wasn't the right man for the job? All Mack did was open the door just a crack for King and his minions.
      And to their credit, they saw daylight and ran to it.
      Undoubtedly, there was heavy pressure applied to Halpern to quit and to Ratner and each of the commissioners to convince Halpern to quit. But being the best means taking a difficult or unpopular stand at times.
      And this was one of those times. The Tyson side was threatening to pull out if Halpern wasn't removed, but who's kidding whom here?
      Does anyone think that a) Tyson had anything to do with this, b) Tyson would have given up a $30 million purse because of a referee, and c) King would have surrendered the millions he stands to make?
      There's no chance the fight would not have gone forward with Halpern.
      The commission had to realize this and should have called their bluff. When Halpern phoned Ratner with an offer to withdraw, Ratner should have refused.
      Ratner, who has nurtured Halpern's career and helped guide him into the position he is in today as one of the world's elite referees, should have said something like, "Mitch, you're our guy and we're going to sink or swim with you."
      Neither is Mills Lane blameless. If Lane -- or another of the Grade A officials in the state -- had said he would not tolerate such treatment of Halpern, it wouldn't have happened again.
      But now, whenever a fighter, promoter or manager decides he doesn't like an official, he has precedent on his side. Make a big enough stink and the NAC will give you your way.
      The WBA, for whom Halpern has worked many fights, also should have shown class and backed their man, but when is the last time anyone associated with a sanctioning body was accused of having class?
      The bottom line is the NAC is still the world's best boxing commission. In this situation, though, it came up with the bases loaded but swung and missed at a two-strike, two-out hanging curve.