Irish-Boxing.com speak to upcoming Mick Conlan opponent David Berna

You’d would hard pressed to find anyone in a packed St Patrick’s Day Madison Square Garden Theater not willing Michael Conlan to win – meaning David Berna will be public enemy number one in New York this Saturday night.

However, while the Hungarian, who provides the opposition for Conlan’s return to the New York, knows the venue will be baying for his blood, he does feel there is one way he can win the fans over.

The Magyar believes fight fans love a shock upset and he claims he will try to deliver them a ‘surprise’ when he trades leather over eight rounds with the Top Rank Irish favourite on St Patrick’s Day.

“Nobody can know before the fight, what will happen in the ring. This is the nice thing about this sport. The public likes the surprise, me too. So, I would like to give the best for the public,” former Hungarian amateur flyweight champion Berna [15(14)-2(2)] told Irish-Boxing.com.

Berna’s record may make for impressive reading, but he has been stopped early any time he hasn’t competed at Hungarian level.

US-based Liberian contender Toka Kahn Clary took him out in the second round of their WBA-NABA title fight before he was stopped in the first round by Ukrainian Oleg Malynovskyi in a WBO European title fight.

In that regard, Conlan is a massive favourite and his sixth opponent seems to accept that is the case.

Indeed, although he will attempt to secure a jaw-dropping victory, Berna would be content with giving the Belfast fighter a tough test.

“Winning a fight is always the best, but sometimes the fighter can be happy after a really good and exciting, but lost fight. If it’s a good fight and I perform well I would be really happy after the fight,” he added before playing down his superior experience.

“I have been in the ring many times, but no two fighters are the same, therefore I have to solve a new task. Of course, I’ll try to use my experience, but I will prepare for some new things too.”

“I think there is no fight without risk, but of course there is a difference between levels of risk. I promise there will be some exciting moments in the ring. So where there is excitement, there is risk too.”

The March 17th fight is bigger for the Hungarian than it is for Conlan. The Belfast talent is expected to register a first-round stoppage victory in relatively routine fashion and quickly move on – but for Berna it’s a chance to change his career and he is just excited to be part of such an event.

“My manager, Zoltan Petranyi, informed me some weeks ago about this fight. We spoke about it earlier already, so, news of the fight didn’t surprise.”

“I know Conlan of course, therefore I said immediately, ‘yes!’.

Madison Square Garden is a really fantastic place. I am happy, because it’s always been a dream of mine to fight there.”