Legendary American boxing referee Mills Lane died at the age of 85 in the ring during the match in which Mike Tyson tore off a piece of his rival Evander Holyfield 's ear on November 9, 1996 .

The man had suffered a stroke in 2002. A former US Marine and boxer, he was known for his pre-fight joke, "Let's go!". He 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.

With a law degree in his pocket, he also served as a district attorney in Reno, a judge in the Washoe County Courthouse (Nevada) and starred in the reality series "Judge Mills Lane".

(Unioneonline/vf)