| Rafael Ruelas | |
| Nationality: | Mexican American |
| Weight: | Featherweight Lightweight Super lightweight |
| Height: | 5feet |
| Reach: | 710NaN0 |
| Birth Date: | 26 April 1971 |
| Birth Place: | Yerbabuena, Jalisco, Mexico |
| Style: | Orthodox |
| Total: | 57 |
| Wins: | 53 |
| Ko: | 41 |
| Losses: | 4 |
Rafael Ruelas (born 26 April 1971) is a Mexican real estate agent in Granada Hills, California. He was a professional boxer who held the IBF lightweight world championship from 1994 until 1995.
Shortly after a TKO in 10 over Jorge Páez in 1992, Ruelas earned a shot at IBF lightweight title Freddie Pendleton, overcoming an early knockdown and winning by unanimous decision.
Ruelas was able to successfully defend his title prior to being challenged by the rapidly rising star Oscar De La Hoya. De la Hoya, despite having lost to Ruelas twice in golden gloves, defeated Ruelas, knocking him down twice and ending the fight in the second round.[1]
Ruelas's career and success were driven by a tenacious, aggressive, and disciplined character. Ruelas retired in 1999 and went on to marry American beauty product business owner, Sabrina Ruelas. The couple have three children together. In an interview, Ruelas was quoted as saying that his wife and family are his biggest accomplishments, surpassing even his championship belts. Ruelas serves as a real estate agent in Granada Hills.
| Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round | Date | Location | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57 | Win | 53–4 | Hicklet Lau | SD | 10 | Aug 8, 1999 | ||
| 56 | Loss | 52–4 | Kostya Tszyu | TKO | 9 (12) | Aug 15, 1998 | ||
| 55 | Win | 52–3 | Juan Baldwin | RTD | 5 (10) | Jun 19, 1998 | ||
| 54 | Win | 51–3 | Tim Scott | TKO | 2 (?) | Mar 21, 1998 | ||
| 53 | Win | 50–3 | Rodney Wilson | TKO | 7 (10) | Nov 14, 1997 | ||
| 52 | Win | 49–3 | Mike Griffith | TKO | 2 (10) | Jul 19, 1997 | ||
| 51 | Win | 48–3 | Jesus Arce | TKO | 2 (10) | Jan 23, 1997 | ||
| 50 | Win | 47–3 | Jaime Balboa | KO | 5 (10) | Dec 3, 1996 | ||
| 49 | Win | 46–3 | Livingstone Bramble | UD | 10 | Aug 23, 1996 | ||
| 48 | Win | 45–3 | Mike Walsh | KO | 2 (10) | Jul 10, 1996 | ||
| 47 | Win | 44–3 | Tomas Barrientes | KO | 2 (10) | Apr 30, 1996 | ||
| 46 | Loss | 43–3 | George Scott | UD | 12 | Oct 7, 1995 | ||
| 45 | Loss | 43–2 | Oscar De La Hoya | TKO | 2 (12) | May 6, 1995 | ||
| 44 | Win | 43–1 | Billy Schwer | RTD | 8 (12) | Jan 28, 1995 | ||
| 43 | Win | 42–1 | Omar Pacheco | KO | 3 (10) | Dec 8, 1994 | ||
| 42 | Win | 41–1 | Mike Evgen | TKO | 3 (12) | May 27, 1994 | ||
| 41 | Win | 40–1 | Freddie Pendleton | UD | 12 | Feb 19, 1994 | ||
| 40 | Win | 39–1 | Manuel Hernandez | KO | 1 (8) | Oct 22, 1993 | ||
| 39 | Win | 38–1 | Conrado Lopez | KO | 1 (10) | Aug 19, 1993 | ||
| 38 | Win | 37–1 | Darryl Tyson | UD | 10 | Jul 17, 1993 | ||
| 37 | Win | 36–1 | Robert Rivera | TKO | 3 (12) | Feb 23, 1993 | ||
| 36 | Win | 35–1 | Roberto Burgos | KO | 1 (10) | Jan 19, 1993 | ||
| 35 | Win | 34–1 | Jorge Páez | RTD | 10 (12) | Nov 6, 1992 | ||
| 34 | Win | 33–1 | Benny Dominguez | KO | 1 (10) | Aug 25, 1992 | ||
| 33 | Win | 32–1 | Mauro Gutierrez | UD | 10 | Jul 7, 1992 | ||
| 32 | Win | 31–1 | Francisco Ortiz | TKO | 2 (10) | May 26, 1992 | ||
| 31 | Win | 30–1 | Francisco Lopez | TKO | 1 (8) | Apr 3, 1992 | ||
| 30 | Win | 29–1 | Rocky Lockridge | UD | 10 | Jan 30, 1992 | ||
| 29 | Win | 28–1 | Juan De La Paz | TKO | 2 (10) | Nov 26, 1991 | ||
| 28 | Loss | 27–1 | Mauro Gutierrez | KO | 2 (12) | Jul 31, 1991 | ||
| 27 | Win | 27–0 | Narciso Valenzuela Romo | UD | 10 | Jun 25, 1991 | ||
| 26 | Win | 26–0 | Fernando Soldadito Teran | KO | 1 (10) | May 17, 1991 | ||
| 25 | Win | 25–0 | Steve Cruz | KO | 3 (12) | Mar 31, 1991 | ||
| 24 | Win | 24–0 | Vicente Gonzalez | UD | 10 | Feb 26, 1991 | ||
| 23 | Win | 23–0 | Tomas Valdez | TKO | 3 (12) | Jan 14, 1991 | ||
| 22 | Win | 22–0 | Richard Abila | KO | 7 (12) | Nov 27, 1990 | ||
| 21 | Win | 21–0 | Felipe de Jesus | TKO | 7 (10) | Sep 22, 1990 | ||
| 20 | Win | 20–0 | Job Walters | TKO | 9 (10) | Aug 17, 1990 | ||
| 19 | Win | 19–0 | Rosendo Alonso | TKO | 1 (10) | Jul 31, 1990 | ||
| 18 | Win | 18–0 | Abe Gomez | UD | 10 | Jun 18, 1990 | ||
| 17 | Win | 17–0 | Vicente Gonzalez | RTD | 5 (10) | May 29, 1990 | ||
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | Arturo Hernandez | TKO | 1 (8) | Apr 14, 1990 | ||
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Antonio Sanchez | KO | 2 (?) | Mar 8, 1990 | ||
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Roberto Rios | TKO | 2 (8) | Feb 27, 1990 | ||
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Simon Contreras | KO | 5 (?) | Feb 5, 1990 | ||
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Ricardo Flores | KO | 1 (8) | Nov 28, 1989 | ||
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Margarito Ruiz | DQ | 1 (6) | Oct 24, 1989 | ||
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Jose Luis Vazquez | KO | 1 (6) | Sep 26, 1989 | ||
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Joey Quinlan | KO | 1 (?) | Aug 29, 1989 | ||
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Ben Gomez | KO | 3 (4) | Jul 14, 1989 | ||
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Chilo Guzman | KO | 3 (6) | Jun 27, 1989 | ||
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Benito Rodriguez | KO | 3 (?) | Jun 16, 1989 | ||
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Javier Lara | KO | 3 (6) | May 30, 1989 | ||
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Margarito Arreola | MD | 4 | Apr 25, 1989 | ||
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Leopoldo Maya | TKO | 1 (4) | Mar 28, 1989 | ||
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Robert Rayford | TKO | 3 (4) | Feb 14, 1989 | ||
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Marcos Covarrubias | UD | 4 | Jan 17, 1989 | ||