Mills Lane died, he was the referee when Tyson took Holyfield’s ear off

In the snapshots of the sport’s most famous bite, Mills Lane was also there. He was the one in shirt and bow tie, the referee of the rematch between the champion Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson on June 28, 1997. The match ended with the disqualification of the challenger, when he had used his teeth against the opponent for the second time. Lane passed away yesterday in Reno, Nevada, at the age of 85. This was announced by the younger of the two sons, Tommy, who explained his last hours: “His passing was very fast, but he was calm and surrounded by the affection of his family. We felt that it could have happened, but we didn’t is never prepared for all this. We’ve been watching his favorite movies these days”. It is not certain that funerals are held. “He hated them. We could have some sort of greeting, a ceremony in a bar or something like that, it’s definitely not going to be something traditional,” Tommy Lane explained.

A judge

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Mills Lane served as a judge in the ring, but also of Washoe County, as well as having served as district attorney. The passion for boxing was first cultivated as a boxer, then as a referee. A career that began in 1971 with the match between Gonzalez and Salavarria and was enriched with prestigious matches, including the one starring Foster and Ali the following year. He retired in 1998. In 2002 he suffered a stroke, from which he never fully recovered, and in 2013 he was inducted into both the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame, officially becoming one of the most famous in history.