Mills Lane, Master Referee of the Ring
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
After losing his professional debut as a boxer in 1961, Mills Lane won his next ten pro bouts betwee 1962 and 1967 as a junior welterweight and welterweight at 142 to 147 pounds. Lane made a comeback in 1967, after winning a ten rounder and retiring in 1963, won a six rounder and reretired, this time for good.
Between 1963 and 1998, Mills Lane refereed 211 bouts. His refereeing career heats up in 1971. His first title bout in 1971 in Maracaibo, Venezuela, had a crazy outcome. WBC Flyweight champion Erbito Salavarria fought a 15 round draw with Betulio Gonzalez, but subsequently got stripped of his title for using amphetamines during the bout. Salavarria later regained his title. In 1972, Lane refereed Muhammad Ali’s knockout of Bob Foster in Stateline, Nevada, for the NABF Heavyweight title in Stateline, Nevada.
In 1978, Lane refereed Larry Holmes 15 round split decision win over Ken Norton. In 1979, Lane refereed Earnie Shavers first round knockout of Ken Norton, Marvelous Marvin Hagler’s draw with Vito Antuofermo for the WBC and WBA World Middleweight titles, and Lupe Pintor’s 15 round split decision win over Carlos Zarate to win the WBC Bantamweight title. All of these bouts were in Las Vegas, as by this time Lane was the face of Las Vegas sports, as in what Floyd Mayweather Jr. would later become.
In 1980, Lane refereed Salvador Sanchez 14th round stoppage win over Danny ‘Little Red’ Lopez. Lane refereed the 1982 thirteenth round stoppage by Larry Holmes over Gerry Cooney to retain the world heavyweight title. In 1983, Lane refereed Larry Holmes 15 round split decision win over Tim Witherspoon. 1986 was an interesting year for Lane, who refereed Alexis Arguello’s fourth round knockout of Billy Costello in Reno, Marvin Hagler’s eleventh round knockout of John ‘The Beast’ Mugabi to retain his world middleweight title, and Michael Spinks 15 round split decision over Larry Holmes to retain the world heavyweight title.
By the time Lane disqualified Mike Tyson for biting off part of Evander Holyfield’s right ear in June 1997, Lane’s career as the man in the middle was winding down. This appearance did not help Lane as he did not stop the bite, but who knew it would happen? In August 1998, Lane inadvertently pushed Robert Allen out of the ring breaking up a clinch in the fourth round of his world middleweight title bout with Thomas Hearns. Lane’s refereeing career ended in Detroit, Michigan, when Thomas Hearns knocked out Jay Snyder in the first round in November 1998 at Joe Louis Arena.
A 2002 stroke left Lane paralyzed on his right side and unable to speak. The television law judge and great referee of our time, Mills Lane, a loud and intense and outspoken voice of boxing like Muhammad Ali, lives on today like Ali, in guard health, with the best of medical care, but in complete silence.
Larry Holmes versus Gerry Cooney, and Evander Holyfield versus Mike Tyson, remain two of his historical signature bouts, one for the prefight hype, and the other for Tyson’s bitter result. Tyson was supposed to beat the heavyweight champion. Tyson chose to eat the heavyweight champion. The fallout was the sort of publicity which proved detrimental. Absolutely Lane made the right call when he disqualified Tyson, who did the wrong thing.
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