Ruelas Brothers Still Have Some Fight Left

When they fought, relatives and fans cheered. And when they retired last year, many of those same people breathed a sigh of relief. Gabriel and Rafael Ruelas had gone from boyhood candy sellers to world-championship boxers to early retirements.

Gabriel never seemed to get over his 1995 fight against Jimmy Garcia, which resulted in Garcia’s death. Rafael never seemed the same fighter after his second-round knockout by Oscar De La Hoya that same year.

Rafael enrolled at UCLA as a business major. Gabriel wanted to work with young fighters.

But the lure of the ring has proved too great. Gabriel, 29, and Rafael, 28, are starting comebacks this weekend.

Gabriel (45-5, 24 knockouts), a former World Boxing Council super-featherweight champion, will fight Jose Rodriguez (11-3-2, seven knockouts) tonight at the Miccosukee Casino in Miami. Rafael (52-4, 42 knockouts), former International Boxing Federation lightweight champion, will face Hicklet Lau (11-5-1, seven knockouts) on Sunday night at the New Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas.

Joe Goossen had been the Ruelases’ only trainer but he didn’t endorse their comebacks, so they found substitutes. Raymond Acquaye of Ghana is Gabriel’s new trainer, and Rafael hired Chato Robles.

Also tonight, at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, N.J., heavyweight Francois Botha, a former IBF heavyweight champion, will be back in the ring for the first time since getting knocked out in January by Mike Tyson. Botha will fight Shannon Briggs (31-2, 25 knockouts).

In the semi-main event, World Boxing Organization junior featherweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera (48-2, 36 knockouts) will defend his title against Pastor Maurin (42-1, 23 knockouts).