Bean makes stand by standing at end

      The sellout crowd of 8,018 at the Las Vegas Hilton booed Saturday night, responding appropriately to an exercise in tedium put on by International Boxing Federation champion Michael Moorer.
      On television, color commentator Bobby Czyz was clearly agitated at what was unfolding.
      "This isn't Mike Tyson. This isn't Evander Holyfield," Czyz said. "This is Vaughn Bean. Moorer should be trying to kill him."
      But as Moorer plodded through 12 rounds of inaction and won a majority decision to retain his championship, there was a moderately interesting development:
      Bean went the distance.
      An almost unknown entity entering Saturday's title bout, Bean stood directly in front of Moorer all night, landed a few telling shots and picked up the proverbial moral victory by ending the fight upright.
      Bean even earned a draw on the scorecard of judge Dave Moretti, who scored it 114-114 and had Bean ahead by a point entering the final round. Jerry Roth scored it 115-113, and Bill Graham had it 116-113 for Moorer, who improved his record to 39-1 with 31 knockouts but did nothing to enhance his reputation as a top-flight heavyweight.
      Bean, meanwhile, did not get knocked out by a heavyweight champion. It wasn't a performance reminiscent of Rocky Balboa, but on a night when the favored fighter seemed reluctant to throw meaningful punches, Bean came out looking good.
      "I thought I pulled it out," the 23-year-old Bean said. "I wanted to win."
      Bean never had Moorer in serious peril but did some decent body work in the middle rounds. He clubbed the lethargic champion with a couple of overhand rights in the final round of the 12-round event.
      Moorer was more aggressive in the earlier rounds, but in the late stages seemed resigned to coast.
      Bean said he was waiting for a fatal Moorer miscue, which never materialized.
      "I was looking for an opening and tried to take it," Bean said. "I should've gone to the hook more and tried to take him out."
      Heady talk from a fighter who, despite his undefeated record, was given little regard by the Moorer camp entering the fight.
      The Butch Lewis-managed Bean is ranked fifth by the IBF and World Boxing Association. But, aside from Moorer, his list of opponents reads like a who's who of tomato cans. Of his 27 previous opponents, only four had records above .500 at the time of the bout, and only one currently holds a winning mark.
      In a rambling yet inspired post-fight monologue, Lewis chastised media reports of Bean's weak opposition and claimed the fighter was the real deal.
      "We proved we belong here," Lewis said in an interview in the ring with Showtime correspondent Jim Gray. "The media tried to tell everyone we didn't belong, but we do."
      Moorer said Bean's strategy was the reason the fight lacked entertainment value.
      "It was his style," Moorer said. "I don't want to take anything away from him. Styles make fights, and he's a fighter just like I am.
      "Styles make fights. That's all I can say."
      Bean didn't lavish praise upon Moorer, seeking a big-money bout with Evander Holyfield or Mike Tyson.
      "He's a straight-forward fighter," Bean said. "He's in shape."
      As the unmarked Bean spoke, it was clear he was not impressed.