1. #1
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    Mills Lane. Famous boxing ref passes away at 85

    Damn, RIP

    Mills Lane, a collegiate boxing champion who narrowly missed making the 1960 U.S. Olympic team and who would go on to a career as a prosecutor, a two-term district attorney, a district court judge and one of the greatest referees in boxing history, died early Tuesday at a hospice near his home in Reno, Nevada.

    ane's son, Tommy, told the Reno Gazette-Journal his health had significantly declined recently. Lane suffered a debilitating stroke 20 years ago that ended his officiating career and left him unable to speak."He took a significant decline in his overall situation," Tommy Lane told the newspaper. "It was a quick departure. He was comfortable and he was surrounded by his family."


    A Marine, Lane won the 1960 NCAA welterweight boxing championship and competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials in San Francisco, California, that year. He lost in the semifinals. He turned pro while still in college and after losing his pro debut, won 10 consecutive fights before retiring.
    Lane served two terms as the Washoe County, Nevada, district attorney and then became a district court judge in Washoe. He then hosted a television show similar to "The People's Court" in which he'd hear civil cases.
    Lane, though, was primarily known as one of the greatest referees in boxing history. He worked many of the biggest fights in the second half of the 20th century and officiated bouts including Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis and Riddick Bowe, among many others.
    His catch phrase, "Let's get it on!" which he used to open bouts was highly popular and distinctive and became his signature.
    "Mills Lane was one of the best referees ever," Richard Steele, himself one of the great referees of all time, told Yahoo Sports. "Mills had great judgement and he would make all the calls at the right time, never too early and never too late. He was one-way all the time. He wasn't wishy-washy. He was strong, decisive and consistent. He had that Marine Corps background and he refereed the same way. We were both in the Marines and we used to talk about the need to be strong, firm and in charge all the time. He helped me to be the referee I became. He was one hell of a guy and was a good, fair honest person. I'm going to miss him, man. I truly am."
    Lane refereed the rematch between Holyfield and Tyson at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas on June 28, 1997, that became known as "The Bite Fight." Holyfield defeated Tyson at the MGM Grand eight months earlier to win the title, but Tyson was upset with the refereeing of Mitch Halpern, whom he accused of allowing Holyfield to headbutt him.
    Halpern was reappointed to work the rematch, but when the Tyson side argued, Halpern withdrew so as not to be a part of the story. Lane replaced him and in the third round, found himself in the unenviable position of trying to restore order after Tyson bit Holyfield on the ear.


    Marc Ratner is now an executive at the UFC but was then the executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission. When Tyson first bit Holyfield, Lane disqualified him immediately. Ratner got up on the ring apron and said to Lane, "Are you sure?" Lane then allowed the fight to continue.
    "I used to tell all my referees to think, and when I asked him if he were sure, he thought about it and made his decision," Ratner told Yahoo Sports. "That was a wild situation and he handled it about as well as could be."
    Lane was the referee in several bouts that were difficult or unusual. He worked the rematch between Bowe and Holyfield for the undisputed heavyweight title in 1993 when James Miller, a paraglider, flew into the ring and got entangled in the ropes during the match. He worked the Oliver McCall-Lewis rematch at the then-Las Vegas Hilton on Feb. 7, 1997. McCall had a mental breakdown during the fight and began crying in the ring. Lane stopped the fight and awarded Lewis a TKO victory.
    He also was forced to disqualify Henry Akinwande in a fight with Lewis in 1997 at Caesars Tahoe when Akinwande was extremely passive and continued to hold.
    On Aug. 28, 1998, Lane was refereeing a middleweight title match between Robert Allen and Bernard Hopkins at the Las Vegas Hilton. There was repeated holding in the fight and at the final time as Lane attempted to break them up, Hopkins fell and rolled out of the ring. He injured an ankle and couldn't continue, forcing the bout to be ruled a no-contest.
    Ratner referred to those bouts jokingly as "the Grand Slam of bizarreness."
    Lane, though, handled the situations as well as could be expected.
    "He was one of the most unique people I've ever met," Ratner said. "He was a law-and-order guy and very firm, but he was a wonderful guy and I loved speaking with him and spending time with him. He was a no-nonsense referee and even though he was a slight man, when he gave commands and told the fighters to break, they broke because they had so much respect for him.
    "I was blessed in my time [as executive director of the commission] to have him Mills, Richard and Joe [Cortez]. They are three Hall of Fame referees and among the greatest referees ever. I was so lucky to have guys like that to use in my big fights."
    In 2013, Lane was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

  2. #2
    mama whoiscrying
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    Mills....he was the best. RIP.

  3. #3
    lakerboy
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    Legend
    He was tough

    RIP

  4. #4
    DiggityDaggityDo
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    Quote Originally Posted by mama whoiscrying View Post
    Mills....he was the best. RIP.


    RIP
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  5. #5
    Bostongambler
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    Legend

    RIP

  6. #6
    TheLock
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    Rip goat

  7. #7
    las8
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    Quote Originally Posted by DiggityDaggityDo View Post


    RIP
    First thing I thought of when I saw this thread. I couldn't remember the name of the show tho.

  8. #8
    ExposingLines247
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    Celebrity death match
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  9. #9
    JIBBBY
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    85 long life. Next..

  10. #10
    franklee168
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    I wonder how much payoff money he got throughout his career from wiseguys.

  11. #11
    KVB
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    RIP Mills Lane.

    A versatile legend, a real judge, and always one of my favorites.

    He oversaw some of the most memorable moments in boxing history.

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  12. #12
    homie1975
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    he was awesome.

    it was maybe 4 to 6 mos ago i thought about him at the same time i thought about the late, greats ferdie pacheco and harold lederman, who both of who passed away.

    it was nice to see Mills was still alive.

    sad to hear he has left us now.

    Legend.

  13. #13
    gauchojake
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    That's when you know what the answer to that question is
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  14. #14
    Art Vandelay
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    Loved him in the Tyson fights! RIP

  15. #15
    homie1975
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    Quote Originally Posted by gauchojake View Post
    That's when you know what the answer to that question is
    Jim Rome Classic.

    excelente Jake !!

  16. #16
    Louisvillekid1
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    Good life

  17. #17
    TheMoneyShot
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    Soon we'll need a subforum with all the people who died. lol Every thread... someone is dying.

  18. #18
    JohnGalt2341
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    I always remember the double nose tap he did when they announced his name. RIP Legend indeed.

  19. #19
    Booya711
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    JFC…the dude is 85……We all die

  20. #20
    JIBBBY
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    If JJ lost weight he could be the next Mills Lane!

  21. #21
    slayer14
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    Do you think we all come back in another life

  22. #22
    Brandt Moat
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    You comment on the stupidity of the people of our society for a spelling error? Your or You're. Remember yesterday? So, "NEXT" I guess class has no place in your super intelligent world. That tells me all I need to know. Your (sorry you're) a fook face. Hope your family hates you. You have to be a lonely worthless fook. Don't care what ya want to hear you fookn dummy. Hope someone at your funeral says that about your life you low life fook.

    Quote Originally Posted by JIBBBY View Post
    85 long life. Next..

  23. #23
    sweethook
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    what a life , rip sir..

  24. #24
    Brandt Moat
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    Good memories of him. 2 touches on the nose and point at camera when introduced. When I had a bet on a fight always hoped he was in charge. Not Richard "I will" Steele your money. RIP Lane.
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  25. #25
    Brandt Moat
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    More jokes in a RIP thread. Super Smart! He knows how to correctly punctuated and read. Wow his I.Q. is sky high! But, he is a FOOK FACE piece of shiot. Die soon worthless one. One Love Bro! One Love!


    Quote Originally Posted by JIBBBY View Post
    If JJ lost weight he could be the next Mills Lane!

  26. #26
    KVB
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    Quote Originally Posted by Brandt Moat View Post
    Good memories of him. 2 touches on the nose and point at camera when introduced. When I had a bet on a fight always hoped he was in charge. Not Richard "I will" Steele your money. RIP Lane.

  27. #27
    209 Life
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    Quote Originally Posted by Brandt Moat View Post
    More jokes in a RIP thread. Super Smart! He knows how to correctly punctuated and read. Wow his I.Q. is sky high! But, he is a FOOK FACE piece of shiot. Die soon worthless one. One Love Bro! One Love!
    I'm convinced you are retarded. Why don't you & Jibby get a room both of you are pathetic.

  28. #28
    KVB
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    Tyson with mad respect for Mills...

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  29. #29
    KVB
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    Quote Originally Posted by Brandt Moat View Post
    Good memories of him. 2 touches on the nose and point at camera when introduced. When I had a bet on a fight always hoped he was in charge. Not Richard "I will" Steele your money. RIP Lane.
    I can't find a GIF of him doing the nose touches.

    Fawk.


  30. #30
    Brandt Moat
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    He did it every time KVB. You know it. The rest of these fooks have no idea.

  31. #31
    Brandt Moat
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    Boxing LEGEND!!

  32. #32
    Brandt Moat
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    I have seen jokes on Ray Guy, Mills Lane on R.I.P. threads. You people suck! Get some respect dog shiot people.

  33. #33
    Brandt Moat
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    And I get banned?????????????????????????????????? ?

  34. #34
    JohnGalt2341
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    Quote Originally Posted by KVB View Post
    I can't find a GIF of him doing the nose touches.

    Fawk.

    I looked as well... I was stunned that I couldn't find it.
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  35. #35
    DiggityDaggityDo
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