Bernard Fernandez | Camden man on 'The Contender'

LIKE MANY recent college graduates with an eye

toward their future, Max

Alexander dressed for success before going to his job interview.

Not that clothes necessarily make the man, particularly when your work attire runs to boxing trunks and padded gloves. But the personnel managers who met with Alexander, a Camden resident who has a degree in criminal

justice from Montclair (N.J.) State University, admit to being impressed.

"Very much so," said boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard. "I was, like, 'Holy [bleep]! This is good stuff.' Max has, I don't know, I guess you could call it a presence. There was just something about this kid that I could relate to. He was like a breath of fresh air."

"A very charming, well-spoken young man," added Jeff Wald. "When he walked into the room to meet with us, he was wearing a suit and tie. I was immediately struck by how poised and articulate he was."

Which explains, at least in part, why Alexander (14-1, 2 KOs) is among the initial 16-fighter field for the third season of "The Contender," which premieres at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 4, on ESPN2.

The boxing reality series, which has had a roller-coaster run, first on NBC, where it was canceled after one season before being picked up by ESPN, continues to be tweaked. The fighters this year will be larger - super middleweights, up from welterweights - and their bouts will be shown in their entirety for a change, instead of condensed highlights interspersed with reaction shots of concerned wives and girlfriends. The trainers have been "upgraded," according to Wald, one of the executive producers, with Buddy McGirt and Pepe Correa taking over for Tommy Gallagher and Jeremy Williams.

There also will be less camera time devoted to the fighters' personal lives and back stories, the better to focus on what actually is happening in the ring.

But personality remains an important component of the show's appeal.

"Our goal is to find more

Oscar De La Hoyas, more Ray Leonards," Wald said. "We want positive role models. It's not too late for boxing to change. We're a part of that change. We want to demonstrate that boxing is not just a sport for thugs."

Toward that end, hundreds of fighters from around the world auditioned for the pugilistic equivalent of "American Idol"

before the field was winnowed down to 16.

The outcome of the opening

episode, which already has been shot, is top-secret stuff as that group of 16 - I guess you could call them the semifinalists - will be pared to the final 10 contestants.

All the boxers involved had to sign confidentiality agreements, which is why Alexander, 26, was unavailable to be interviewed for this piece. He's more or less stashed away in any case. But

Leonard and Wald didn't mind pinch-hitting for him, and for the other presumably charming

fellows who can also scrap a bit.

"The fact of the matter is that all these guys have some color, some flair to them," Wald said. "Jaidon Codrington is another kid who comes across very well. Sam Soliman is an absolute delight, as nice as can be."

In addition to the sparring sessions and physical-conditioning tests in which all the applicants participated, there also was a battery of psychological examinations designed to ensure against the sort of tragedy that befell "The Contender's" first season, when Philadelphia's Najai Turpin, reportedly beset by personal issues, took his own life.

Turpin's Philly trainer, Percy "Buster" Custus, said Turpin - who had lost to eventually tournament winner Sergio Mora 3 months earlier - was despondent that he contractually could not resume his career until after all episodes had been aired.

No one with "The Contender" is disposed to discuss the Turpin situation these days, but there is little doubt that applicants now must quantifiably demonstrate they can deal with the show's pressures both in and out of the ring.

"All these guys take psychological tests," Wald said. "We do

extensive background checks. And, of course, we conduct our own interviews. We ask them hard questions and see how they respond.

"How does someone speak? How does he represent himself? What's his attitude? How is he going to get along with the group? All these things are very important."

Almost makes you wonder why anyone would put himself through the process, until you

realize that along with the top prize of $1 million (up from $500,000 last year) comes the sort of television face time that can turn unknown fighters into household names.

"Even the guys who lose on our show have had success," Wald said. "They've become

celebrities. They all realize the value of the exposure."

Alexander is the fourth area fighter to have appeared on the show; Philly's Aaron Torres and Mike Stewart, of New Castle, Del., were in Season 2. Leonard leaves no doubt that Alexander is his kind of fighter.

"He came in with a big smile and this look in his eyes," Leonard said. "He has a confidence that borders on arrogance. I was the same way.

"But you can have that supreme belief in yourself without being obnoxious about it. Max is very self-assured and likable, too. That's not always such an easy image to project." *

Send e-mail to fernanb@phillynews.com