LOS ANGELES (AP) — Famed Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. has been arrested for entering the United States illegally and will be deported to Mexico, where he faces organized crime charges, U.S. federal officials said Thursday.
The arrest comes only days after the former middleweight champion lost a match against Jake Paul in Anaheim, California.
The 39-year-old boxer was picked up by a large number of federal agents while he was riding a scooter in front of his home in Studio City, according to Chávez’s attorney Michael Goldstein.
“The current allegations are outrageous and simply another headline to terrorize the community,” Goldstein said.
Many people across Southern California are on edge as immigration arrests have ramped up, prompting protests and the federal deployment of National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to downtown Los Angeles.
Goldstein did not know where Chávez was being detained as of Thursday morning, but said they were due in court Monday related to gun possession charges from last year and were to provide an update on his progress in a substance abuse program.
The Department of Homeland Security said Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained Chávez for overstaying a tourist visa that expired in February 2024 after he entered the country in August 2023.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services flagged ICE about Chávez last year, saying he “is an egregious public safety threat,” and yet he was allowed back into the country Jan. 4, the agency said.
Officials said he has an active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives and is believed to be an affiliate of the Sinaloa Cartel. The Associated Press contacted Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office about the charges but the office has not responded yet.
The Trump administration said Chávez applied for a green card on April, 2, 2024, based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen, Frida Muñoz, the former partner of Édgar Guzmán López, the now-deceased son of imprisoned Sinaloa cartel kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
The agency said Chávez had submitted multiple fraudulent statements on his application, which led to his arrest.
Chávez had fought just once since 2021 before his bout with Paul on Saturday, having fallen to innumerable lows during a lengthy boxing career conducted in the shadow of his father, one of the most beloved athletes in Mexican history, a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame who won championships in several weight classes.
The son has failed drug tests, served suspensions and egregiously missed weight while being widely criticized for his intermittent dedication to the sport.
He still rose to its heights, winning the WBC middleweight title in 2011 and defending it three times. Chávez shared the ring with generational greats Canelo Álvarez and Sergio Martinez, losing to both.
After battling drug addiction for long stretches of his career, Chávez went to a rehabilitation clinic in Sinaloa and claimed to be clean for the Paul fight. He looked in his best shape in years while preparing for the match.
Chávez said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times ahead of his fight with Paul that he and his trainers were scared by the immigration arrests.
“I don’t understand the situation — why so much violence? There are a lot of good people, and you’re giving the community an example of violence,” Chávez said. “After everything that’s happened, I wouldn’t want to be deported.”
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Associated Press journalist Carlos Rodriguez in Mexico City contributed to this story.
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