LAS VEGAS – Gifted former IBF lightweight champion Paul Spadafora is a fan of Gervonta Davis, and says there is more to Davis than meets the eye.

Because of the Baltimore star’s ability to shut out lights with one punch, some label him as a banger, but it is the overall skillset of the 29-0 (27 KOs) WBA lightweight champion that Spadafora appreciates. 

Both southpaws, 48-year-old Spadafora lost just once in 51 fights, stopping 19 of his 49 victims.

“I like Tank because everyone thinks he’s just a puncher, and that’s the façade,” Spadafora explained. “He’s not just a puncher. If he was just a puncher he would have went right at Ryan [Garcia], but you see how he boxed Ryan. He slowed his ass down, watched what he was doing, watched what he was doing, watched his movements and then BOOM. Once he did that, it was catch-up time for Ryan and if you’re playing catch up with Tank, you’re fucked.”

It is the set-up, thinking several steps ahead and plotting during a fight while under fire that is as impressive as Davis’ ability to starch an opponent with a single shot.

“That takes tremendous amounts of skill. Tank will probably go down as one of the best,” said Spadafora.

The slick Pittsburgh boxer is now a coach and has a gym at his home in Las Vegas. He has a fine boxing brain and still follows the sport closely.

“I have three favorites that I like today, I like Tank the most,” he said. “I like Terence Crawford, I like Boots [Jaron Ennis] because he’s from Philly and he’s the next one [superstar]. Crawford, there ain’t no one he won’t fight. He’s a dog for real. He’s different than anybody that I ever knew.”

There are fighters in and around Davis’ weight class that Spadafora would like to see Davis fight, including Ukrainian star Vasiliy Lomachenko and Newark’s Shakur Stevenson.

“Tank and Shakur, that’s a great fight. Shakur’s very patient. That’s a great fight, but I have to give the edge to Tank,” Spadafora said.

“I think Shakur has got a better chance of beating Lomachenko than he does [of beating] Tank, but that’s a great division.” 

Spadafora is also high on Lomachenko and Oleksandr Usyk, Ukrainian southpaws whose styles remind him of his own fighting days.

“They do the things that I used to do,” Spadafora said. “I used to do things like that. And it works, they just do it a little bit better than I did.”