Ruelases Are Their Brothers’ Keepers : Boxing: They fight again on the same card, but for the first time both will be defending titles.

Tonight marks the 24th time brothers Gabriel and Rafael Ruelas will fight on the same card as professionals, and the 24th time Gabriel has dreaded it.

But who is Gabriel, older by nine months, to stand in the way of destiny?

“This time it’s OK,” he said reluctantly.

This time, stardom beckons.

Most of the pieces to this huaraches-to-riches story are in place. “The Tonight Show” has already called. The cameras of “Inside Edition” have rolled in to get a behind-the-scenes look.

Now it’s up to the Ruelases, who will defend their world titles for the first time together as champions, as co-headliners at the MGM Grand Garden. The four-fight show, a pay-per-view telecast, begins at 6 p.m.

Rafael (42-1, 33 knockouts) risks his International Boxing Federation lightweight crown against Britain’s Billy Schwer (25-1, 20 KOs), and Gabriel (37-2, 21 KOs) makes the first defense of his World Boxing Council super-featherweight title against Fred Liberatore (20-2-1, 11 KOs).

In a coin flip that was almost surely manipulated, Gabriel, 24, won the right to fight before his 23-year-old brother.

Rafael, younger but more savvy, understands the promotional advantage of fighting as a brother act.

“It’s a great honor to be fighting on the same card with my brother the first time when both are world champions,” Rafael said.

Gabriel is not so sure.

“When both of us are doing it, you can’t really watch over the other one,” Gabriel countered.

So Gabe begs to fight first.

On July 30, 1991, Rafael suffered his only professional defeat when he was knocked out by Mauro Gutierrez in the first round. Gabriel was helpless in the wings, awaiting his own bout.

“I was fighting for the NABF (North American Boxing Federation) title, and he lost, and it was like they made it sound like he really got KO’d, and I was trying to get ready for my fight,” Gabriel said. “It’s hard sometimes.”

Rafael has always had to push his older brother onto center stage.

As kids, after moving from Mexico to Sylmar, they sold candy together door to door. Often, Rafael would follow a reluctant Gabriel to the porch and close the deal.

First in sales, Rafael also beat his brother to the world-title punch when, last February at the Forum, he recovered from two first-round knockdowns to take the IBF title from Freddie Pendleton.

“It never bothered me,” Gabriel said of his brother winning a title first. “They had this big party for him after he won. I’ve always been so happy for him.”

The feelings are mutual. On April 14, 1990, Gabriel’s career appeared over when he suffered a broken elbow in a defeat by Jeff Franklin.

Joe Goossen, trainer for both Ruelases, described it as a “Joe Theismann-type break,” and feared the worst. But at Rafael’s urging, Gabriel was soon back in the gym, working out with five bolts holding his elbow in place.

After losing a title fight to Azumah Nelson in 1993, Gabriel recovered last September to upset WBC champion James Leija.

When Gabriel won, the Ruelas Brothers were born again.

While they are still selling their wares door to door, the product is no longer chocolates.

“When I was selling candy, I could never give two boxes for one,” Gabriel said as the fight approached. “This time we can give two boxers for the price of one.”

Rafael will receive $300,000 for his fight, Gabriel $250,000. The brothers also will share a percentage of TV pay-per-view profits.

Dan Goossen, manager of both fighters, senses the brothers are on the threshold of greatness. It just requires they keep winning and, presumably, they continue to share the marquee.

“They’re always going to be successful on their own,” Goossen said, “but it’s that much greater as brothers.”

Only in rare instances, such as a proposed showdown between Rafael and Oscar De La Hoya in May, would it not seem in the Ruelases’ best interests to fight on the same card.

But first rings first. Rafael is up against a tough bloke in Schwer, the No. 2-ranked contender who has a reputation as a brawler.

“I have no compunction at all in saying he has a very, very good chance of winning,” Mickey Duff, Schwer’s manager, said.

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Boxing Notes

In other title fights on the card, Jake Rodriguez (26-2-2, 7 KOs) will defend his International Boxing Federation junior-welterweight title against Konstantin Tszyu (13-0, 10 KOs), a much talked-about Russian-born fighter who fights out of Australia. Also, Alex Sanchez (17-0, 13 KOs) defends his World Boxing Organization mini-flyweight title against Rafael Orozco (19-10-1, 11 KOs).