Mills Lane, Legendary Boxing Referee, Dies at 85

The longtime ref officiated some of the sport’s most notable 20th century fights.

Mills Lane, a Hall of Fame boxing referee who officiated more than 100 championship bouts, died Tuesday at a hospice near his home in Reno, his son Tommy told the Reno Gazette-Journal. He was 85 years old.

Tommy Lane said that his father’s health had significantly declined recently. Mills suffered a stroke 20 years ago, in April 2002, that led him to end his officiating career. 

“He took a significant decline in his overall situation,” Tommy Lane said. “It was a quick departure. He was comfortable and he was surrounded by his family.”

Lane began his time in the boxing ring as a fighter, winning the 1960 NCAA welterweight boxing championship and competing in the U.S. Olympic Trials that same year. He turned pro the following year while still in college and lost his debut before going on to win 10 consecutive fights. He retired in 1967 with a 10–1 record.

Though an accomplished fighter in his own right, Lane went onto to become known as one of the greatest referees in boxing history. Most notably, he refereed “The Bite Fight,” a rematch between world heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield and challenger Mike Tyson. Lane disqualified Tyson after he bit Holyfield’s ears twice in the early rounds.

The Holyfield-Tyson rematch was far from the only important fight that Mills found himself at the center of. Mills, who became known for his pre-fight catchphrase “Let’s get it on,” oversaw some of the biggest bouts of the 20th century that included boxers like Muhammad Ali, Tyson, Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Julio César Chávez and Riddick Bowe.

Lane was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2013.