Wednesday, March 26, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
Michael Moorer habitually bemoans his apparent lack of widespread exposure and acclaim, yet the International Boxing Federation heavyweight champion also isn't the most accessible guy in the world.
Monday, for instance, he failed to show at a press conference in Los Angeles to promote Saturday's title fight with Vaughn Bean at the Las Vegas Hilton.
And Tuesday he stayed in the shadows as well, flying to Las Vegas but retaining his usual low profile. His manager, John Davimos, said Moorer has a cold.
"He'll be there Saturday, that's the important thing," Davimos said. "Michael's 100 percent except for this little cold."
A Hilton source confirmed the fight is still on despite Moorer's weakened condition.
"We're well prepared," Davimos said, dismissing the illness.
Moorer, 38-1 with 31 knockouts, had a solid camp in preparation for Bean, Davimos said.
"He had an extra two weeks because the fight was originally scheduled for the 15th," Davimos said. "He's ready to go and fight. That's the only thing his mind has been on."
Moorer is up against an unsung and relatively unknown challenger in the 27-0 Bean, a Chicago-based fighter with 21 wins by knockout.
"I don't look past anybody," Moorer said during a conference call Friday. "Bean's a heavyweight and all heavyweights can punch. Boxing is a sport where one punch can end a fight in a matter of seconds."
Moorer should know. He was the victimized, one-punch loser to George Foreman in the 10th round of a 1994 fight that he had been dominating until getting caught with a now-famous right hand.
"As a boxer, you expect that there's going to be a day that you lose," Moorer said. "That's a part of boxing that people don't understand. If you're a strong-minded person, it upsets you at first, but then you have to overlook it. It's gone. It's in the past. You don't dwell on it -- I don't anyway."
But he will dwell a little on his public image and why he isn't a nationally recognized figure despite his status as a three-time world champion.
"The lack of respect is there already," he said. "There's a lot of people that don't respect me. I don't play and give all of the hype to all of the fights."
This one with Bean may be an example. While Moorer has said he knows better than to look past Bean and toward a fight of greater magnitude this summer (such as one with Mike Tyson), the fact that he appears unconcerned about ticket sales or advance publicity is typical for him in many respects.
"I understand the game of boxing," Moorer said. "There's not a lot to say. People know my record. I'm happy with what I'm doing."
A native of New York who has lived in Pennsylvania and Michigan in recent years, Moorer will be making the second defense of the IBF title he won in a fight with Axel Schulz last June. His most recent defense, against Frans Botha in November, ended in the 12th round with Moorer gaining a TKO win.
"The motivation for me right now is Vaughn Bean because he's going to come in there and try to take away my title," Moorer said. "We can't talk about Tyson because if I don't beat Bean, then there's no fight."
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