By Gerardo Granados: While researching for an article I saw a video of the Holyfield vs. Bowe II and Holyfield vs Tyson II fights, and I got to see Referee Mills Lane doing his job. It has been sixteen years since Mills Lane retired but it seems like yesterday when you could hear him shout “let´s get it on!” before the lions went to battle. The referee´s duties are diverse and he is responsible for the safety of the fighters, sometimes it looks easy to be a referee but I doubt it is a job that many people can do correctly. Let´s not forget that on times the referee gets to save not only the boxing career but also the life of a brave warrior.
Referee Mills Lane was inducted in to the IBHOF last year. He was not tall but was able to impose his authority to the big heavyweights fighters on a brake or when threatening them to deduct a point. Lane, a College graduate is a former prizefighter, fight judge, referee and also promoter; but many adult fight fans might remember him for his character at the MTV show Celebrity Death Match. According to BOXREC Lane made his debut as referee back in 1964 and retired in 1998.
Once up on a time the referee kept his own score card, later on it was ruled that the referee should focus to be in charge of the actions so the referee no longer kept that scoring card in order to concentrate on his main duty. The referee must be aware of the rules applied to the bout be it a ten rounder or a title bout according to the sanctioning body (be it the WBC-WBA-IBF-WBO) and know how to properly apply them.
Some of the duties are to instruct the fighters before the fight; sometimes one contender waist line is higher and the opponent punches might hit on the belt line so the referee will say if it is okay or if it is a foul, maybe one fighter is a southpaw or shorther and there might be head-butt so the referee will instruct them to be careful while charging, if needed will warn them to fight clean and avoid any dirty tactic that in the past they have done. The referee will determine when a fighter is down and will pick the count when a fighter is knocked down after sending the opponent to a neutral corner. He will determine if a penalty to the rules has been committed and has the authority to deduct a point if he thinks so. He will sign when a round starts or ends, he will instruct the fighters to stop fighting and to stop the official clock he will also sign when to restart the round, to break, to stop the fight when he determines that a fighter has taken enough punishment also can ask the opinion of the ring doctor. And he even can disqualify a fighter if there has been a severe foul. Also a referee might not need to have great footwork but he better have good mobility to be able to move away from the fighters; he need to stay at the right distance and correct angle to see the action.
Once a saw a title fight in which the corner threw in the towel, then everybody jumped in to the ring assuming the fight was over but after a minute the referee was able to make everyone leave to restart the round, I can’t remember the fighters or the referee´s name but he applied the rule correctly because in that occasion by rule the corner was not allowed to throw the towel in to stop the fight.
Do the readers remember when referees urged the prizefighters to “fight” and threatened them to stop the bout if they did not show intention to engage?
Many referees are criticized for stopping the fight too early or too late. Richard Steele received a lot of heat for stopping the Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. vs. Meldrick Taylor I bout, but the only one close enough to judge Taylor condition, to see his eyes and hear his response was Steele. When Nonito Donaire knocked down Fernando Montiel, referee Russell Mora allowed Cochulito to continue, just to stop the bout after Montiel had taken more unnecessary punches, I wonder what would happen if another big left had landed. When referee Tony Perez allowed Ray Mercer to hit a guard less Tommy Morrison (RIP) with at least sixteen punches not many fight fans complained but it was a risky situation for Morrison.
Others referees get criticized for allowing too much clinching or due separate fighters when one of them tries to work in the inside. When Amir Khan faced Marcos Maidana referee Joe Cortez often stepped in to separate the fighters which did not allow Maidana to work on the inside as he wanted to. Wladimir Klitschko is allowed by referees to endlessly clinch his opponents. Many times a referee is able to keep the tempo of the fight flowing correctly but there have been times when the lack of authority of a referee allows fighters to apply all kind of dirty tactics which avoid fighters to engage and entertain the audience.
Lane was a referee who could keep a fight flowing without too much interruptions resulting more entertaining for the audience. I am sure Referee Mills Lane was one of the best, but what about the reader, do you believe it too?
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