Ring the alarm

By JIM TAYLOR -- Calgary Sun LAS VEGAS -- Mike Tyson lost the first round of his heavyweight title fight with Evander Holyfield last night.
By a vote of 4-1, the Nevada State Athletic Commission threw out the Tyson camp's protest over the selection of Mitch Halpern as referee for tomorrow night's bout.
The process, in public forum, took better than an hour and featured harrangues by promoter Don King and Tysoncs co-manager, John Horne, who at one point yelled, "If you want to say to hell with Mike Tyson, DO it!"
Horne insisted the protest was not a slam at Halpern, but over the use of the same referee for the two Tyson-Holyfield bouts and the psychological effects it might have on Tyson, knowing that it was Halpern who stopped the first fight on an 11th-round TKO.
Tyson's camp said it would agree to have Mills Lane handle this fight. Minutes into the discussion the Holyfield camp said that was fine with them. But the argument droned on, and in the end the commission effectively told both sides to take a hike, their original decision stood.

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