I suspect the deleting of the airbox has more to do with the "steps" in the power curve, not the mapping. And while for most people removing the airbox looses too much power where they want it to put what power it does add elsewhere, if that sort of power delivery works for you I say go for it and have fun.
I fully understand how a more peaky power delivery can be fun. One of the most enjoyable street bikes I have ever had was an FZR400. It wasn't until you hit 10,000 rpms that things got seriously entertaining. But once there it was quite entertaining. While a Guzzi lump with the air box and proper exhaust can deliver an incredibly wide spread of power, take that air box away and the spread of power becomes less wide and more focused on certain rpms, depending on intake tract length and cam profile. While that may not be something everyone wants, I can see how it could be fun. Most people focus on the total area under the curve, generally for streetbikes that is what is considered optimal. But sometimes it is worth sacrificing some of the area under the curve to make things a little more aggressive.
Sometimes people need to relax. It isn't always about what gives the best curve on a dyno. Sometimes it is just about what makes it fun.