I think what he was saying is that Gotti & Galante, while tough in their own right, would probably lose more fights than they would win in prison and a lot of the fear they command (particularly Galante) is because of how much power they had and how intemperate they were.
Nothing soft and weak about them physically or even mentally. It's just that their physical prowess does not match up to their aura.
Exactly! That's what I was trying to convey.
Take other mafia bosses for example -- guys like Carlo Gambino and Paul Castellano: both those guys were feared and had a lot of power and sway in the criminal world. But if you took either guy out of his element and put him in some prison out here on the West Coast (or even in another country), what would you be left with: an old, physically weak guy who would be easy pickings for any random jailhouse predator.
The power of a typical mafia boss is sort of transitory. They have a lot of power when they are in their own element (and when backed up by their organization), but when isolated and moved to another area (or placed in a prison), they become very ordinary.
I'm sure a lot of guys in the mob are physically tough and capable, but simply being a mobster or belonging to a mob family does not make one a physical beast or a proficient, highly-skilled fighter. And sitting around in social clubs, smoking cigars, and feasting on gourmet foods doesn't do much for one's physical abilities.
