Referee Mills Lane who officiated Mike Tyson vs Evander Holyfield dies, aged 85

Legendary boxing referee Mills Lane has died at the age of 85.

Lane was the man in the middle for one of the most famous fights of all time when Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield's ear during their world heavyweight rematch in 1997.

Lane, who was a boxer before he became a referee, took charge of over 100 fights and was famed for his 'Let's get it on' message to fighters before the first bell.

His son Tommy confirmed his passing on Tuesday after being unwell for the past week and died with his loved ones around him.

Lane was only appointed for the infamous rematch after protests from Tyson's camp against Mitch Halpern being named official, as he was for the first fight between the pair.

Lane disqualified Tyson and was famously pictured with his shirt stained in blood after the fight. He claimed at the time that he knew Tyson had intentionally bit his opponent.

He also took charge of famous fights including Oliver McCall vs Lennox Lewis and Holyfield's bout with Riddick Bowe.

The former referee also became a TV personality with his character and voice used in MTV's Celebrity Deathmatch before he confirmed his retirement from the sport.

Lane suffered a debilitating stroke in 2002 which left him unable to speak and move freely. He was pictured in a wheelchair, reuniting with Tyson in 2013.

He had been inducted into the legendary boxing Hall of Fame in the same year and is regarded by so many as a legend of the sport.

"He took a significant decline in his overall situation. He was comfortable and he was surrounded by his family," his son Tommy said. "You never knew how long he had. We kind of felt like we were preparing for this all along., but there’s no such thing as preparing for this."