MILLS LANE died last week at the age of 85, some 20 years after being told by doctors that he’d be lucky to survive another five when he suffered a stroke in 2002. That he lasted so long, or indeed survived the stroke in the first place, should be no surprise to those who knew the tenacious little southpaw that found worldwide fame as a boxing referee.
Fight fans who followed the sport in the 1980s and ’90s will remember Lane well. His catchphrase, “Let’s get it on!” (the antithesis of the Marvin Gaye track of the same name) was every bit as familiar as Michael, featuring an eye-bulging caricature of Lane spitting out his catchphrase, achieved significant popularity in the ’90s. That was soon followed by his own TV courtroom show, , which ran for a whopping 700 episodes.
