Legendary Referee Mills Lane Passes Away

It’s a sad day for boxing fans today, as they’ve lost, arguably, the most well-known boxing referee in the history of the sport. Mills Lane died today at the age of 85. His son Tommy told the Reno Gazette Journal that his father passed away after being in hospice for the last week.

Born in Georgia on November 2, 1937, Lane began his career in boxing as a fighter, starting while serving in the Marine Corps, and later going 10-1 as a professional. Lane would almost even compete for the United States in the 1960 Olympics, though he was ultimately eliminated in the semi-finals of the Olympic Trials. He would last fight in 1967 before going on to officiate his first boxing match in 1971.

Though he officiated several major fights in his career, Lane is best remembered for refereeing the second fight between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson in 1997. That sequel encounter famously saw Tyson bite Holyfield on the ear not once but twice, forcing Lane — himself a replacement referee for the fight — to disqualify Tyson. Lane would continue to referee for one more year before retiring; he would later be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2013.

Lane would transition to television, hosting his own court show “Judge Mills Lane,” and appearing in claymation as the referee for MTV’s cult hit series “Celebrity Deathmatch.” Utilizing his catchphrase “Let’s get it on” and appearing alongside WWE legends “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Mick Foley, Lane became arguably the de facto face of the show. He’d appear as part of the show until its first run ended in 2002. During that time, Mills would also make two wrestling appearances, first for WWE in November 1998, and then later in WCW in 1999, where he officiated a boxing match between “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and Buff Bagwell. 

Wrestling Inc. would like to offer condolences to Lane’s family and friends during this difficult time.