I will have to give a qualified yes, I suppose, but not easily. Both were solid pros, as you mentioned. Gil may have a size problem as I think his best work was done at Welter. However I don't think that either had the firepower to stop Rocky, the skills to win rounds consistently against a man of his quality or the workrate to overcome his aggressiveness. A long hard night of good boxing with Gil and Gene having to respect the power Rocky carries in his right or it doesn't go to the cards. If it does go to the cards I would expect Rocky's aggressiveness and harder blows to carry the day. But I wouldn't be shocked to see a close verdict go the other way. Gil outpointed Gene Fullmer once and that lets me know he can survive and win against a quality determined aggressive hard hitting middleweight champ. And Gene has a draw with Lamotta and a win against Kid Gavilan!
