Mills Lane Dies: TV Judge And Boxing Referee Of The Tyson-Holyfield “Bite Fight” Was 85

07.12.2022 - 02:25 / deadline.com

Mills Lane, the flinty boxer turned referee who became a judge in Washoe County, NV, before segueing to his own courtroom TV show, has died. His son Tommy Lane confirmed the news to the Reno Gazette Journal. The boxing hall of famer was 85.

A familiar face to boxing fans not just for his presence but also for his pre-fight catchphrase “Let’s get it on!”, Lane reached the peak of his popularity after being the third man in the ring for the 1997 heavyweight title fight between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield in which Tyson bit off part of Holyfield’s ear. The diminutive Lane — who himself fought at 147 pounds — was the one who pried the two apart and, his own shirt stained with Holyfield’s blood, later disqualified Tyson.

In 1998, Lane hung up his bow tie shorty after he began presiding over his own court show, Judge Mills Lane. The syndicated series produced 700 episodes over three years, before its run ended in 2001. In typical court TV fashion, Lane presided over litigation and — in atypical fashion — employed his catchphrase “Let’s get it on!” at the opening of each case. TNN later aired reruns of the series. It is currently available on Pluto TV.

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The show was produced by John Tomlin and Bob Young for Hurricane Entertainment Group. Judge Mills Lane was distributed by Rysher Entertainment for its first season and Paramount Domestic Television for its last two seasons.

Born in Savannah, GA, Lane attended Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts, where he played football (linebacker) and ice hockey (goaltender). In 1956 joined the Marines, took up boxing and became the All-Far East welterweight champ before being discharged in 1959. He was an National Collegiate