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How did Mills Lane die? Legendary boxing referee who DQ'd Mike Tyson over infamous ear-bite, was 85

Mills Lane was the third man in the ring for more than 100 championship boxing matches

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The legendary boxing referee Mills Lan wore too many hats throughout his life. From being a judge to a boxer to a boxing referee, he never backed down from any challenges.

However, that is not all. Lane was best known for having officiated several major heavyweight championship boxing matches in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, and for starring in the syndicated court show 'Judge Mills Lane'. Lane was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and was likewise inducted into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame in August of the same year. Furthermore, Lane was the official in the infamous second fight between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield in 1997, in which Tyson bit Holyfield’s ear off, and quickly became a household name although in that particular match Lane disqualified him.

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The boxing referee famous for using the phrase "Let’s get it on," has died at 85 years old. Lane’s son, Tommy, told the Reno Gazette-Journal that his father, who suffered a stroke 20 years ago, had been in hospice for the last week.

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

Lane’s wife, Kay, and sons Tommy and Terry were at his side. “You never knew how long he had. We kind of felt like we were preparing for this all along., but there’s no such thing as preparing for this,” Tommy Lane said.

Lane refereed some of the iconic wrestling matches of all time. A few weeks after the Tyson vs Holyfield match, Lane refereed the Lennox Lewis vs Henry Akinwande match. Just like Tyson vs Holyfield, it ended in disqualification when Akinwande used illegal tactics, these being excessive clinching and ignoring Lane's repeated orders to stop. After refereeing the fight between Thomas Hearns and Jay Snyder on November 6, 1998, Lane retired as a boxing referee.

According to Boxing Scene, during an interview back in 1991, Mills said, "discipline is everything."  He further continued, "When I'm working a fight, I give the same energy and attention to a four-rounder as I do a million-dollar fight. The way I see it, in either case, on that night, it's the most important fight in those fighters' careers."