https://facebook/pages/Miltz-Boxing-News/174949075910574 Until a few weeks ago, Mills Lane wasn’t sure if he could make the long trip from Reno to Canastota, N.Y., where he is being inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. What’s more, the former referee wasn’t sure he wanted to. Lane, 76, who was the victim of a stroke in 2002 and cannot speak, was worried how people would react when they saw him. He has been reclusive for the most part since the stroke, and even though the honor being bestowed upon him today is huge, Lane wasn’t sure he wanted to accept it in person. But he recently met with New York Post reporter George Willis, who has written a book about the 1997 rematch between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield in which Lane was the referee. It was the infamous “bite fight,” and when Lane interacted with Willis, he came to the realization that it wasn’t so bad. “He was so concerned about people seeing him in the condition he’s in,” Lane’s son Terry said. “He was very self-conscious about his condition. But after he visited with George, it seemed to pick him up.” Lane agreed to go and will be in upstate New York today as one of 10 honorees in the Class of 2013. Joining Lane are boxers Arturo Gatti, Virgil Hill, Myung-Woo Yuh, Wes Ramey and Jeff Smith, ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr., manager Arturo Hernandez, journalist Colin Hart and cartoonist Ted Carroll. “He’s been looking forward to this for months,” Terry Lane said. “Boxing’s the common thread in his life, and for him to be honored by his peers makes this so special.” Terry Lane said he wasn’t sure how the speech will be handled because his father can’t verbalize what he wants to say. Most likely, Terry and his brother Tommy will handle the speech. “This may open a new chapter in his life,” Terry Lane said. “The fact that he could be there, in person, to accept this honor, it has put a little pep in his step. He’s definitely excited.”
Posted on: Mon, 10 Jun 2013 02:51:18 +0000
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