Boxing ref Mills Lane, who officiated the Tyson-Holyfield 'Bite Fight', dies

Mills Lane, the iconic boxing referee who officiated the Mike Tyson-Evander Holyfield "Bite Fight" and myriad other championship bouts, has died, the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame confirmed on Tuesday.

"The Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame mourns the passing of great referee Mills Lane," the institution said on its website.

The 85-year-old, who suffered a stroke in April of 2002, was with wife Kaye and sons Terry and Tommy when he died at his home in Reno, Nevada, on Tuesday, Tommy Lane told the Reno Gazette-Journal.

"He took a significant decline in his overall situation," Tommy Lane said. "It was a quick departure. He was comfortable and he was surrounded by his family."

The Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame mourns the passing of great referee Mills Lane. A longtime resident of Reno, Mills was a district attorney and later District Court Judge in Washoe County. The courthouse in Reno now bears his name. He refereed many of the biggest fights in boxin... pic.twitter.com/xmoI2DwyFb

Lane was known for his trademark pre-fight phrase "Let's get it on," and for a no-nonsense attitude in the ring.

A onetime US Marine and boxer himself, he graduated from law school in 1970.

He was a respected referee when he became a household name when he was the third man in the ring for a 1997 heavyweight rematch between Tyson and Holyfield - which ended with Tyson disqualified for biting Holyfield's ear.

Lane had also refereed Tyson's comeback victory over Peter McNeeley in Las Vegas, in which the overmatched McNeeley was disqualified when his manager entered the ring.

Lane was inducted in both the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2013.

Lane, a longtime resident of Reno, also served as a district attorney and later a District