Monday, March 24, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
THE GUY who lives next door is a boxing fan who asks about Michael Moorer all the time.
Whatever the reason, Moorer is his favorite fighter.
Anything Moorer might be doing, planning or contemplating is of interest. "What's new with Moorer?" he'll inquire, somewhat regularly.
He doesn't care about any or all of Moorer's personal idiosyncrasies, his seemingly habitual clashes with authority and the law, or his apparent lack of motivation once inside the ring. It's of no concern to him that Moorer is bland, reserved and predictable.
He likes Moorer the fighter, period.
Many boxing fans do.
They separate Moorer the fighter from Moorer the nonpersonality. They see a man who is 38-1 with 31 knockouts, a man who was a light heavyweight world champion seven years ago and is the IBF heavyweight champion today.
That's enough for his supporters.
And that says something about him. For all the media's ambivalence toward Moorer, he remains a fairly marketable fighter with a certain appeal.
The average fan may find his out-of-the-ring antics curious, and they may scratch their heads when stories emerge about Moorer needing his trainer, Teddy Atlas, to bait him unmercifully in an effort to get him motivated. But they're more intrigued by his boxing ability and the fact he has risen from 175 pounds to 224 and beaten talented opponents like Evander Holyfield along the way.
Moorer's dramatic, one-punch loss to George Foreman didn't lessen their faith in him or their belief that he remains destined for greater triumphs. They could, and do, call it a fluke that he lost to Foreman after dominating the old man for nine full rounds back in 1994.
They look ahead and see Moorer in position to become the undisputed heavyweight champion, if he plays his cards right. It is a possibility, even if it's one that would make the typical member of the media cringe.
Moorer has a Saturday night fight at the Las Vegas Hilton that is impossible to classify in advance. He's up against the totally unknown Vaughn Bean, whose greatest asset appears to have been surrounding himself with an able promoter (Butch Lewis) and two famous ex-champions (Joe Frazier and Michael Spinks) as trainers.
Moorer vs. Bean may turn out to be nothing more than a mild workout for the reigning champ. Moorer -- and the boxing public -- figures to be surprised only if his occasional complacency kicks in and Bean capitalizes.
That possibility aside, it's Moorer and not Bean with the credentials, the experience and the expertise to win.
Beyond this fight, Moorer has been promised Mike Tyson if Tyson manages to defeat Holyfield May 3 at the MGM. Rather than get caught up in too many "what ifs," suffice to say Moorer is in position to add to his collection of championships and he has the major promoter -- Don King -- it takes to do it.
Media darling or not, Moorer wins fights.
Lots of people like him for nothing more than that.
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