Halpern out as referee

Dean Juipe

Friday, June 27, 1997 | 11:17 a.m.

Mitch Halpern has stepped down as the referee for Saturday's Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson fight in what was literally an 11th-hour decision designed to salvage the multi-million dollar show.

Shortly after 11 p.m. Thursday, Halpern relented under pressure from Nevada State Athletic Commission Chairman Dr. Elias Ghanem and relinquished his fight assignment.

"Mitch is going to pull out of the fight," Ghanem told the SUN. "As much as we didn't want to do this, it seemed to be the only solution."

Tyson, through his handlers, threatened to pull out of the fight if Halpern -- who refereed the first Holyfield-Tyson fight last November and who was appointed last Friday to referee this one -- didn't step aside. Halpern balked until Ghanem proved persuasive.

"This is really bad for something like this to happen," Ghanem said. "I think he would have done a great job again. (But) they were adamant that they would pull out if something wasn't done."

A co-manager for Tyson, John Horne, brought an ominous tone to an emergency meeting of the NSAC Thursday evening when he suggested Tyson would withdraw from the fight rather than participate with Halpern as the referee.

Yet even with Halpern stepping aside, Ghanem wasn't totally at ease. "I hope they don't have something already planned for (today)," he said, as if the threat of a Tyson pullout hadn't been completely eliminated.

The NSAC reconfirmed Halpern at its Thursday meeting by a 4-1 vote despite the vocal and animated objections of Horne, and, to a lesser extent, promoter Don King.