Chat Transcript
CBS SportsLine.com
March 14, 2001

Lane disqualified Mike Tyson for biting off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear. (Allsport)

Mills Lane gained national attention when he disqualified Mike Tyson in his heavyweight title vs. Evander Holyfield for biting off a piece of Holyfield's ear. He then went on to host his own half hour daytime TV courtroom series which is nationally syndicated and in its third season.

Lane is a member of the World Boxing Hall of Fame and was a referee for more than 30 years. He is now a promoter for Let's Get It On Promotions and is out promoting the TVKO pay-per-view fight between world featherweight champion Prince Naseem Hamed and Marco Antonio Barrera at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on April 7.

To get more information about Lets Get It On Promotions, log on to LetsGetItOn.com..

Mills Lane: Hello! I am Mills Lane. It is a pleasure to be chatting with you online. so.. LETS GET IT ON!

Question: marty3: Compare being The Referee of a Championship Fight to being Judge Mills Lane on your tv show?

Mills Lane: I think a fight, a boxing match, is of course a controversy. As is any case on television! However, the fight is the basic of all controversies. So there is no time for legal rationalizations. Much more basic and to the point.

Question: bellamy: Do you use your abilities as a judge in the ring

Mills Lane: Absolutely! Those are good questions too. A referee is a judge, if you will, in protecting the integrity of the fight itself. In court the judge is supposed to protect the integrity of the truth finding process.

Question: barky: A successful lawyer, judge, ref, and now promoter. Gosh, is there anything you CAN'T do? Or anything you haven't done you would like to try?

Mills Lane: Well, I am very flattered by that observation. But I have been very lucky in my life. I will admit to some hard work. But I have had a lot of breaks and consider myself very very fortunate. One thing I would like to do is play in the World Series of Poker.

Question: millsfan01: Some say that the state of boxing is in disrepair these days. Would you say it is better or worse than it's been in the past as far as corruption, fixed fights, etc.

Mills Lane: Well I think that the manipulation of the ratings is worse than ever before. I think there are a lot of things that can be done to make the discipline, the prize fighting discipline, better. Tony Holder and I hope to be able to do some of those things.

Question: boxerj: You seem to be such a good judge of character, what is your personal opinion of Don King?

Mills Lane: I don't know that much about him and his personal affairs. And as a former prosecutor, if I don't know what the facts are then I don't make a judgement. I know what I read and hear and some of it is very unflattering. But I don't have personal knowledge of the facts.

Question: speed_freak: Did you ever think "Let's Get It On" would stick with you like it has?

Mills Lane: No! I never did. When I first used it in the Holmes-Cooney fight in 1981, I had no idea it would become what it has become. And as a matter of fact, I trademarked it about 2 or 3 years ago.

Question: leftjab: Judge - What are your thoughts on the sport of women's boxing that has become popular lately?

Mills Lane: Personally.. on a personal view, I don't care for it. I don't like to see women getting black eyes and bloody noses. But my legal training tells me that, as long as you set standards and a person measures up to the standards, they are entitled to participate. And so, in a free country, you have to be free to do it if you want to. If women want to box, they should be allowed to.

Question: speed_freak: Judge, have you ever been tempted to sentence the people on your television show to 3 minutes in the ring?

Mills Lane: Good question! That thought has crossed my mind a couple of times!

Question: marty3: What makes Prince Haseem Named a Great Fighter and who is he going to fight in the future?

Mills Lane: On April 7th, he is going to fight Antonio Barrera in Las Vegas. He is a great fighter because 1) he can really punch 2) has a lot of guts 3) and is very clever. I think the Barrera fight may be the one of the best in 2001 if not THE best.

Question: sally: Tell me a little about your new promotion group - Lets Get It On Promotions. Why did you start it and what is your mission?

Mills Lane: We started it because Tony Holden, my partner, called me and invited me to form the partnership venture which we named Lets Get It On Promotions. Our mission is to 1) Promote good credible boxing matches. 2) Protect the economic and financial position of the fighters we promote. 3) Try to make some positive changes in professional boxing. You can find more information at www.letsgetiton.com.

Question: bellamy: What is your opinion of "Bite Nite" when Tyson bit Holyfield's ear?

Mills Lane: Things were happening SO quickly that I was reacting to what was in front of me. Clearly Tyson was way outside the lines. As a practical matter, that event really made my career take off if you will. It turned my life upside down.

Question: uppercut: Judge - Who was the hardest hitter you ever saw?

Mills Lane: One Punch? Earnie Shavers. One shot. Then you get guys who hit with rapidity and quickness like Ali and Tyson. Of course you have to have Marciano and Lewis up there too.

Question: uppercut: Judge - Do you think some boxers (Foreman, Holyfield) tend to hold on too long and end up continuing to box when they should hang it up?

Mills Lane: Absolutely! I don't think there is any question of that. People extend themselves beyond what their limitations are.

Question: judgefan: Who do you see as the up and coming golden boys of the fight game these days? Who should we be watching for?

Mills Lane: Well, obviously I think Haseem Named, Sugar Shane Mosely, Felix Trinidad, and some of the Olympians. But the guy I think to keep an eyeball on is Mosely.

Question: 10count: Judge - Did you ever think about being a boxer yourself?

Mills Lane: I was a fighter! I fought in the Marines in 1957-58. Won the Nationals in 1960, went to the finals of the Olympic Trials in 1960, and fought professionally my last 2 years of college to have money for my education.

Question: millsfan01: Tell us the truth, did Holyfield and Lewis REALLY fight to a draw or was it as apparent to you as to the rest of us that Lewis clearly won that fight?

Mills Lane: I thought Lewis won the first fight clearly. I am a Holyfield fan, really! But I thought he lost both nights. In fact the first night was less close than the second night!

Question: sally: Is there any boxer or boxing match that you wish you could have been the ref for?

Mills Lane: Well.. that is a good one. I think the Hagler-Hearns fight was a great one and maybe the best I ever saw. But I have been so fortunate in the assignments I have gotten that I don't look back with second thoughts. I had good assignments and I appreciated them.

Question: reggaeflow: What do you think will be done to improve the game of boxing?

Mills Lane: I would like to see them go back to making weight the day of the fight instead of drying out and dehydrating like the do now, which is dangerous. I wish there would be one unified ratings system. And that there was no manipulation of that system so that #1 fought #2 for the title all the time.

Question: marty3: Hello Mills, Who do you think are the best Boxing Referees in the Sport Today?

Mills Lane: Well I thought the best in the world was Mitch Halpern, the one who committed suicide. Joe Cortez from Nevada is up there. There is a young man in Las Vegas, Kenny Bayless is up there. Keith Smoger in New Jersey is good too.

Question: barky: What convinced you to do the voice for your clay alter ego on Celebrity Deathmatch?

Mills Lane: They called me up and the creators and producers asked me if I would do it. They give me a fee every time I do the voice over. It is fun and economically rewarding also!

Question: leftjab: Judge - Do you think boxing needs another superstar type performer to get fans back?

Mills Lane: Well I think that wouldn't hurt. If you have an Ali or Leonard. But I think Shane Mosely has the potential to be that. And Haseem Named has the potential to bring people back that otherwise would not be attracted.

Question: reggaeflow: Who do you think is the best pound for pound today and do you think Mosely is legit? Why isn't he getting more recognition?

Mills Lane: Right now, pound for pound, I would say Mosely. I have heard it argued that Roy Jones is. But in order to be the best pound for pound fighter, you have to fight! Jones hasn't fought the ones he needs to fight. And don't sell Bernard Hopkins short at 170! He can fight! I think Mosely is getting recognition now and will get more as he proves what a great athlete he is!

Question: boxerj: What is the one quality you wish you saw in more people?

Mills Lane: Character. Great character and discipline. If you have great character and discipline you can whip anything.

Mills Lane: It has been great being online with all you folks and I hope you had as good a time as I did. Great questions! Don't forget to visit www.letsgetiton.com! Goodnight!