Mills Lane passes, aged 85.

Sad news that Hall of Fame referee Mills Lane has passed at the age of 85 in his home City of Reno, Nevada. Lane, the district attorney best known for his no nonsense approach and the catchphrase ‘let’s get it on,’ was the middle man in a number of major boxing matches, spanning 4 decades including the infamous Tyson v Holyfield rematch in 1997 where he was forced to disqualify the former champion for the notorious double bite incident. Mills also officiated Hagler v Antuofermo, Tyson v Berbick, several of Larry Holmes world title defences along with Muhammad Ali’s bout with Bob Foster. The final world title bout that Judge Lane refereed was a 1998 world middle weight title fight between Bernard Hopkins and Robert Allen, ironically the fight was stopped and deemed a no contest when Mills physically broke the fighters from a clinch and accidentally pushed Hopkins out of the ring in round 4. After retiring as a referee and ringside official, Lane starred and hosted a reality TV court show for a number of years. Unfortunately, Lane suffered a debilitating stroke in 2002 that left him partially paralyzed and unable to speak. Lane was respected and loved by all that knew him in court, in the ring and in life, a wonderful man who will be sorely missed.