Thursday, March 13, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
Teddy Atlas may not care for the responsibility but he accepts it.
Unlike most professional boxing trainers, Atlas has dual duties: Whip Michael Moorer into shape physically, and serve as something of an untrained psychologist when Moorer's mental approach to the sport goes astray.
Moorer, who defends his IBF heavyweight championship March 29 at the Las Vegas Hilton, has his peculiarities. And one that affects him in the ring is an occasional lack of motivation.
Atlas prodded Moorer during his 1994 victory over Evander Holyfield, telling him more than once between rounds that "I'll go in there and fight him if you don't." More recently, Atlas threatened Moorer during his Nov. 9 victory over Frans Botha, summoning referee Mills Lane to the corner during a between-rounds break and telling Moorer he would ask Lane to stop the bout if Moorer refused to exert himself.
"Michael is the most complex man I've ever trained," Atlas said by phone from the Moorer training camp in Woodland Hills, Calif. "It's been trying and tiring. Sometimes we drift and it's been taxing. But he's also the most rewarding fighter I've ever trained."
It's rewarding because Moorer, in all but one instance, finds a way to win. He's 38-1 with 31 knockouts, his lone loss coming in the 10th round to George Foreman in a fight Moorer was winning easily until getting tagged with a now-historic right hand.
Up next for Moorer is an undefeated fighter with no solid credentials aside from a glittering 27-0 record, Vaughn Bean. They're headlining a Hilton card that also includes ex-champion Julio Cesar Chavez, strawweight king Ricardo Lopez and WBA middleweight champ Laurent Boudouani.
"Quite honestly, knowing that Bean hasn't been in with this kind of competition, Michael is very confident that this guy shouldn't be at this level," Atlas said. "But he isn't taking this for granted because I wouldn't allow it. I think he is extra confident; I'd be lying if I didn't say that. But he knows it's a title defense and that he'll possibly get the winner of (Mike) Tyson-(Evander) Holyfield."
If Tyson defeats Holyfield May 3, a Moorer vs. Tyson fight is a virtual certainty. The picture is less clear if Holyfield wins.
Of course, there's no guarantee Moorer gets past Bean, although Atlas said his man is already at weight -- 214 -- and in shape after opening camp under less-than-ideal conditions.
"There were some problems with Michael both personally and professionally," Atlas said of the attitude when camp opened Jan. 30. "But we got those resolved."
Atlas did not elaborate on those problems or how they were resolved. Perhaps they were nothing more than the typical excess baggage Atlas has to deal with in getting Moorer motivated to fight.
"I didn't have any notions it would be a free ride," Atlas said of taking Moorer as a client, which occurred prior to the win over Holyfield almost three years ago. "I knew the stories and the background and the history of him rejecting trainers. I was aware of a guy who was unsure of himself, not just a guy being a nut and running away from things.
"He wanted somebody to discipline him and force him to face things, and I was right for it. But getting him there is very tiring."
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