Legendary American boxing referee Mills Lane, who notably officiated during the match during which Mike Tyson tore a piece of the ear of his rival Evander Holyfield, died at the age of 85, announced Tuesday Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame.
"
The Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame mourns the passing of Grand Referee Mills Lane
," the institution said on its website.
The former referee, who suffered a stroke in 2002, died in Reno, Nevada, along with his wife and two sons, one of the latter told local media.
Lane, a former U.S. Marine and boxer himself, was known for his pre-fight line "
Let's get it on!"
(" Let's
go!
") and for his direct attitude in the ring.
A respected referee, he rose to stardom as the third man in the ring in the 1997 Tyson-Holyfield rematch, which ended in Tyson's disqualification for biting off his opponent's left ear.
Lane also refereed Tyson's 89-second match against Peter McNeeley in Las Vegas in 1995, in which McNeeley was disqualified for his manager's appearance in the ring.
A law graduate, Mills Lane was also a district attorney in Reno, then a judge in the Washoe County Court, in his state of Nevada.
The Reno courthouse bears his name.
He was also the protagonist of a reality series, "
Judge Mills Lane
", which ran for four seasons until 2001.
