maybe he wants the public to really hate him and by doing this it seems to of worked, so now people are going to buy his fights in the hope of seeing him get knocked spark out? just a thought
If it's the case it's still very stupid in his first HBO appearance. There are other ways to become the bad guy than pissing off the fans. But who knows, perhaps this is even better for him. At least a win tonight wouldn't do anything for his resume, so why not?