At the age of 85, Mills Lane, one of the most well-known referees in boxing history, passed away. Lane, who gained notoriety for using the words “Let’s get it on,” officiated in numerous illustrious fights, including the infamous “Bite Fight,” in which Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield in the ear.
Before becoming a referee, Lane had a brief professional boxing career in the 1960s. In his career, Lane officiated over 100 world title fights. In August 1998, while breaking up a clinch, Lane unintentionally injured Bernard Hopkins by shoving him out of the ring. This was his final championship bout. Later that year, he prepared for his last battle.
Lane was the third man in the ring during the “Bite Fight,” the Hopkins injury, Oliver McCall versus Lennox Lewis nervous breakdown, and the “Fan Man Fight” between Riddick Bowe and Evander Holyfield when a man almost parachuted into the ring before getting tangled in the lighting rig and being pulled into the audience and attacked by Bowe’s team.
In the same year that he retired, Lane started working as a judge on the program “Judge Mills Lane.” He really held the positions of District Attorney, District Judge, and Chief Deputy Sheriff of Investigative Services in Washoe County, Nevada.
When Lane appeared as the referee on MTV’s “Celebrity Death Match,” he was animated in claymation form, further raising his popularity.
In 2013, Lane became a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
