Time Warner Sports President SETH ABRAHAM, who feels
that boxing promoters must "appeal to the younger set to
compete with the NBA and the extreme sports," said that HBO
will promote PRINCE NASEEM HAMED "a little differently than
most fighters." HBO has "hired a photographer who had never
worked with athletes" to shoot Hamed, and Abraham called the
final product "larger than life, more MTVish." Abraham, on
Hamed: "He's got sass. He's got attitude. He's got mouth.
He's not a shrinking violet. Even in his heyday, MUHAMMAD
ALI was never this outrageous" (BOSTON GLOBE, 12/14).
WACKO OVER JACKO: MICHAEL JACKSON "dropped in" on Hamed
yesterday "to admire a possible future dance partner."
Jackson: "We've been talking about doing a video together."
Jackson said Hamed moves "better than any boxer he's seen
since" Ali (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 12/16)....As of yesterday, more
than 6,000 tickets had been sold for MSG's Friday night
Hamed-Kevin Kelley championship bout. MSG has set up a 200-
foot runway for Hamed's "elaborate ring entrance," which has
taken up to 20 minutes in London. HBO "is hoping to trim
Hamed's entrance to 10 minutes" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/16).
