When showman Don King waxed long and eloquently from his Thesaurus on the necessity of picking his own referee to work a show here some years back, the Hawai'i State Boxing Commission told him nice speech, but no thanks.

Likewise, when promoter Bob Arum demanded to bring along his own referee for a card, the commission told him to concentrate on selling tickets and it would choose the referees.

Whatever you might say about the commission in other areas over the years, it has, for the most part, maintained its integrity in deciding who works fights in its jurisdiction. Fiercely and, commendably, so. Lessons learned the hard way.

So it will be interesting to see if that spirit has been handed down to the current five voting member commission when it assigns officials for the proposed Aug. 29 card featuring Brian Viloria's IBF title defense at Blaisdell Center.

We bring this up because, according to a commission spokesman, there has been a request by one or more parties on the card that they be allowed to bring referees with them to work the show.

Not that we should be surprised. You might remember the last time Viloria fought here his manager, Gary Gittelsohn, threatened, "no fighter of mine will ever be in the ring where he (Abe Pacheco) is the referee."

Gittelsohn complained about Pacheco's handling of Viloria's eighth-round technical knockout of Valentin Leon in 2003, but, according to an official, never filed a formal protest. The commission subsequently reviewed the handling of the fight on its own and, at the time, said Pacheco would still be considered "the main (referee) out of Hawai'i."

Then-commissioner Eiichi Jumawan, said at the time, "If Abe was to work the next high-profile event, he would be the best referee to have because everybody would be watching and he would make sure to not make any mistakes."

Well, six years later, Viloria is coming back and we are left to wonder what that means for the choice of officials. Not only for the veteran Pacheco, who remains the state's most experienced active referee if he wants to work the fight, but any other Hawai'i ring officials that might be used.

The commission meets tomorrow and could take up the issue then, according to chairman Herbert Minn. Minn, himself an internationally known ex-ref, said a choice has yet to be made.

Minn said he wants to move beyond Gittelsohn's quarrel of the past. Minn says whoever the referees are, "I don't want any mix-ups; no mistakes."

We all do, of course. That and a commission that knows when to take a stand.