I never really got why they hated naseem, considering he got HBO big numbers. They would call him a clown and pretty much seemed like Barrera's cheerleader during the fight. I remember lampleys quote saying "Prince Naseem said earlier that if I lost, it's because Allah wrote it down that I lost. Well I guess Allah knows how to spell B A R R E R A!" I mean damn, thats a pretty harsh comment. Not only that. I don't even think HBO ever mentions the guy anymore. They act like he didn't exist even though he was one of the top earners and fighters during that time.
Was he c*cky? Hell yeah he was, especially in the ring. But thats what made him so entertaining and such a draw for people. Just ask Ali. The only problem I had with him was his entrances, those were way too long.
So why did HBO have a problem with him?
HBO used to hate European fighters. Hamed was a damn good fighter.. Emanuel Stewart said he was the hardest puncher pound for pound with both hands he had trained.
HBO always roots for the top undefeated guys to lose once they get too big. They will go crazy if Floyd is about to lose just like they got all excited when Jones loss. RJ even tells stories about working on the crew and hearing them celebrate about other top fighters getting KO and how they know how to pick opponents, etc......
For the record though, I think the Lampley thing was kinda a slip up. It was a very bad choice of words but I dont think he meant it as a diss. Just came out wrong and Foreman called him on it. I also dont think they talk about any guys from the past harldy except Steward when he's bragging about the guys from his era like Hearns & SRL