FORMER IRISH OLYMPIAN Michael Conlan picked up his sixth victory in as many professional fight as he saw off David Berna at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.
Conlan, whose fight versus the Hungarian was kept until last despite not officially headlining the show, brought the Irish-heavy crowd to its feet with 15 seconds remaining in the first round: a left hand to the solar plexus creased Berna, who beat the count with less than a second to spare.
Conlan might have finished Berna inside the first, but with seconds remaining in the stanza, took a step backwards to take stock of his opponent rather than rush in for the kill.
Mind you, he didn’t have to wait long: the Falls Road featherweight dropped Berna once more at the start of the second. The 27-year-old Budapest native, who entered the contest with a padded record of 15-2(14KOs), once more beat the count to his credit, but had his fate sealed moments later.
A Conlan onslaught against the ropes saw the referee intervene, and not four minutes after he emerged to a hair-raising reception at Madison Square Garden’s Theater, the Irishman was celebrating his sixth win as a professional.
A year on from his debut at the same arena, Conlan’s record improves to 6-0 (5KOs). Next up should be a homecoming in Belfast this June.