Everybody has their own understanding of what being tough is.

When I think of the combination of mental and physical toughness, I think of fighters. The mob has a long history of being around fighters both in boxing and mma. But were there any gangsters that a fighter would respect and even fear if not for their organized crime backing?

I suspect that most feel tough and powerful because of their connection to the underworld(artificially tough) but there may be a select few that are authentically all of that with or without the mob’s influence.