Mills Lane, judge and boxing referee who disqualified Tyson in ear-biting incident, has stroke

<br>RENO, Nev. (AP) _ Boxing referee Mills Lane, who disqualified Mike Tyson in a 1997 bout for biting off part of Evander Holyfield's ear, has been hospitalized after suffering a stroke. <br><br>Friends

Wednesday, April 3rd 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

RENO, Nev. (AP) _ Boxing referee Mills Lane, who disqualified Mike Tyson in a 1997 bout for biting off part of Evander Holyfield's ear, has been hospitalized after suffering a stroke.

Friends said the 64-year-old Lane was found unconscious in his home Monday morning and was taken to St. Mary's Regional Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition Tuesday.

Lane suffered speech loss and weakness in his right side.

``He has made progress,'' said Dr. Paul Katz, a neurologist and stroke specialist. ``The language is clearly the concern.''

The former judge and NCAA boxing champion gained national attention as referee of the Tyson-Holyfield ``Bite Fight.'' He resigned from the bench in 1998 to start a TV show and open a Reno law firm.

In December 2000, he began a boxing promotion company with his three law partners and Tony Holden Productions of Oklahoma.

The company staged its first bout in April 2001, the same month his syndicated TV show, ``Judge Mills Lane,'' was canceled.