By Sam Brookes

Copyright independent

Boxing can be a very lonely sport, with just two combatants slugging it out in front of thousands of fans baying for blood.

But for some, it is very much a family affair. We have seen instances of two or more people from the same family climbing to the top of the sport, including the Klitschko brothers, who ruled the heavyweight division for the best part of a decade.

The two Ukrainian greats have now walked away from boxing, but siblings are still flourishing.

The question is: who are the best siblings in boxing right now?

Here, we rank the top seven who are all thriving on the global stage.

The Moloney twins hail from Australia and have both held world titles in recent years.

It was Andrew who got his hands on championship gold first when he was named WBA (Regular) super-flyweight champion in 2020.

His reign was a short one as he lost a points decision to Joshua Franco in June 2020. The rematch was ruled a no contest after an accidental head clash, while the trilogy bout also went Franco’s way on the scorecards.

Andrew fought his way back into title contention with four straight wins but then suffered the first knockout loss of his career when he was stopped in the final round by pound-for-pound star Junto Nakatani two years ago.

Another loss to Pedro Guevara in May 2024 led to Andrew announcing his retirement, but he performed a swift U-turn and won his comeback fight with a third-round stoppage last December.

Meanwhile, Jason actually had his first world title shot before Andrew when he faced Emmanuel Rodriguez for his IBF bantamweight belt in October 2018.

Jason was on the wrong end of a split decision and was then knocked out in the seventh round by Naoya Inoue when he challenged for the Japanese star’s world titles in October 2020.

It was third time lucky for Jason two years ago when he edged past Vincent Astrolabio to win the vacant WBO bantamweight strap.

He made one successful defence before losing on points to Japan’s Yoshiki Takei last year. Jason was also beaten in his last outing in February and now has work to do to return to the title mix.

There are four Smith brothers who have all boxed, but only Liam and Callum are still competing.

Liam achieved his dream of becoming a world champion in 2015 when he knocked out America’s John Thompson.

He defended his WBO super welterweight title twice before coming unstuck against Mexican great Canelo Alvarez.

Liam has continued to fight at the highest level for the best part of a decade since and holds impressive wins over the likes of Chris Eubank Jr and Jessie Vargas.

However, he has lost his last two contests and faces an uphill task to get back to the top of the sport.

His brother, Callum, appears to have a better chance of winning another world title.

He won the World Boxing Super Series in 2018, beating George Groves in the final to win the WBA and Ring super middleweight titles.

Similarly to Liam, Callum also defended his belts twice before losing to Canelo.

He subsequently moved up to light heavyweight and fell short in his bid to rule a second weight class when he was knocked out by Artur Beterbiev last year.

But he has bounced back with successive wins and claimed the WBO interim belt when he beat Joshua Buatsi in a fight of the year contender in February.

Callum’s next fight is yet to be scheduled but he could be in line for one final title shot before retirement.

Jermall and Jermell Charlo have been inactive in recent times, but their achievements cannot be ignored.

Jermall was crowned IBF super welterweight champion in 2015 and defended his belt three times before moving up to 160lbs.

After initially winning the WBC interim middleweight belt, he was finally named full champion in 2019.

He did not lose his title in the ring, but Jermall has only fought twice since 2021. However, he looked impressive as he claimed a knockout win in May, and he is now seeking a world title in a third division after jumping up to super middleweight.

Jermell picked up his first world title a year after his brother and gradually began to unify the super welterweight division.

In May 2022, he earned undisputed status at 154lbs by stopping Brian Castano in their rematch after their first meeting had ended in a draw.

Jermell opted to move straight up to super middleweight afterwards to face Canelo and was beaten on points.

He has not fought in the last two years but recently teased a comeback as he targets a second stint as super welterweight king.

The late boxing trainer Gary Russell had five sons and named them all after himself. Two of the sons have managed to win world honours.

Russell Jr first went for title glory in 2014 but lost a majority decision to the legendary Vasyl Lomachenko.

That defeat only delayed the inevitable, though. The following year, Russell Jr knocked out Jhonny Gonzalez to claim the WBC featherweight title.

Russell Jr’s activity was a major issue after his title breakthrough as he defended his belt just five times over the next five years.

He was finally beaten in 2022 after a seven-year reign by Mark Magsayo and then spent another three years out of the ring.

But he did make a comeback in July to win via knockout and could attempt one final push for a second championship run.

Russell Jr is now 37, but his younger brother, Gary Antuanne Russell, is eight years younger and in his prime.

He won his first 17 professional bouts inside the distance but lost a split decision to Alberto Puello when the WBC interim super lightweight title was on the line last year.

Russell got his shot at redemption in March, and he took it. The 29-year-old outpointed Jose Valenzuela in New York to win the WBA super lightweight strap.

It’s time for our first brother and sister combination. Daniel and Caroline Dubois operate at very different weights but have both achieved huge success inside the squared circle.

Daniel is four years older than Caroline and has naturally been in the spotlight for longer.

After bursting onto the scene as a teenager, Daniel has suffered his fair share of setbacks, losing to Joe Joyce and then Oleksandr Usyk when he first challenged for a world title in 2023.

But he bounced back to win the IBF heavyweight belt after Usyk vacated to pursue a rematch with Tyson Fury and defended his belt with a stunning display as he knocked out Anthony Joshua at Wembley last September.

Dubois lost his rematch with Usyk in July and has returned to contender status. He is still only 28, though, and has time on his side to mount another world title challenge.

In the women’s lightweight division, Caroline is the current WBC champion. She represented Team GB at the 2021 Olympics, narrowly missing out on a medal, before turning over to the professional ranks.

She quickly moved into title contention and was eventually named champion after Katie Taylor vacated her title last year to stay at super lightweight as she continued her rivalry with Amanda Serrano.

Dubois last defended her title in March and looks like a superstar in the making if she can finally get her hands on the biggest names in and around her weight class.

Just missing out on top spot are the Inoue brothers from Japan. Naoya is one of the biggest names in boxing right now after ruling no fewer than four different divisions.

He has held undisputed status in two weight classes and currently has all the marbles at super bantamweight.

Naoya is unbeaten in 31 fights and has only been taken the distance four times. His willingness to step between the ropes on a regular basis has also endeared him to fans around the world.

The 32-year-old is due to defend his titles for the fourth time this year when he faces David Picasso in Saudi Arabia on December 27.

Takuma, who is three years Naoya’s junior, has also enjoyed plenty of success in his own career.

He was beaten in his first world title fight by Nordine Oubaali in 2019, but his persistence paid off when he won the WBA bantamweight belt four years later.

Takuma made two successful defences before suffering a points loss against his fellow countryman Seiya Tsutsumi last year.

It has been almost 12 months since that defeat, but he remains highly ranked and could get another title shot when he returns to action.

It has to be Sebastian and Gabriela Fundora at No 1.

Sebastian has emerged as a phenomenon in recent years, with fans wondering how he somehow gets down to the super welterweight limit of 154lbs despite standing at 6ft 6in tall.

He initially had to settle for interim champion status in 2022 while Jermell Charlo was unifying the division before he was finally upgraded to the full WBO champion in early 2024.

Sebastian beat Tim Tszyu, son of the iconic Kostya, last year to add the WBC belt to his collection and then stopped Chordale Booker in March to retain his titles.

He vacated his WBO title to pursue a rematch with Tszyu, which he won via stoppage in July.

The giant 154-pounder is due to defend his crown next month when he takes on ex-welterweight champion Keith Thurman.

Sebastian is now 27 and approaching his peak, while Gabriela is still only 23. Yet the younger sibling has already outdone her brother in the professional ranks.

She won her first world title aged 21 and then became the undisputed champion at flyweight by knocking out Gabriela Celeste Alaniz last November.

The younger Fundora was back in action this past weekend as she stopped Alexas Kubicki inside seven rounds.

With Katie Taylor coming towards the end of her glittering career, Gabriela could soon be the face of women’s boxing.

Sebastian is also going from strength to strength, and it is going to take something special to halt the rise of the Fundora family.

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