'Let's Get It On': Look Back At The Life Of The Legendary Mills Lane

On Tuesday, December 6, the boxing world lost one of its most iconic figures in the form of the legendary referee Mills Lane.

A stroke left Lane incapacitated and unable to speak, and his health declined greatly in the days leading up to his death.

According to Lane's son Tommy, he was in a hospice before he died. He was 85 years old.

Perhaps one of the most recognizable figures—and voices—in boxing history, Lane was best known for his time as a referee, officiating some of the sport's biggest matches, and was described by the International Boxing Hall of Fame as a no-nonsense arbiter who was respected for his "fairness, judgment and professionalism."

What most people may not know is that Lane's entry into the "Sweet Science" wasn't through officiating, but rather through competing.

In 1963, Lane began boxing professionally as a welterweight, quickly compiling a 10-1 record with six wins by knockout.

The following year, he would officially hang up his gloves and shift his focus to officiating. He would later coin and popularize the catchphrase "Let's get it on!"

From the 1970s to the 1990s, Lane officiated over a hundred world championship boxing matches, including classics such as Larry Holmes vs. Ken Norton, Muhammad Ali vs. Bob Foster, Mike Tyson vs. Trevor Berbick, Evander Holyfield vs. Buster Douglas, and many others.

Lane was also the third man in the ring for the now-infamous rematch between Tyson and Holyfield, wherein the former was disqualified for biting off a part of the latter's ear.

In 1998, Lane called it a career, leaving behind a legacy that is quite frankly, unparalleled in the world of boxing.

In 2013, Lane was inducted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame in the same year.

Outside of the boxing ring, Lane had a number notable achievements and accolades as well.

A graduate of the S.J. Quinney College of Law, Lane became a Chief Deputy Sheriff before eventually rising up the ranks and became a District Attorney, and eventually a District Judge.

Lane's legal career became the focal point for the television series "Judge Mills Lane," which lasted from 1998 to 2001.

Mills also became a voice talent for the widely-popular MTV cartoon Celebrity Deathmatch, wherein he played himself.

Truly an institution in the boxing world, Lane's impact and contributions to the sport will never be duplicated, and he will surely be missed.