Julio César Chávez Jr. has been deported from the United States to his native Mexico, where the boxer was immediately arrested and jailed in Sonora.
Chávez was initially arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in early July just four days after losing a unanimous decision to Jake Paul in Studio City, California for overstaying his visa and lying on a green-card application.
He was detained in the United States for more than a month before he could be deported Monday and arrested in Mexico for alleged involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition and explosives. It is claimed that the four-year-long investigation into Chávez began in 2019 and found him to have ties to the Sinaloa Cartel, with an warrant issued for his arrest in Mexico in 2023.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed Chávez’s deportation on Tuesday to reporters. Chávez Jr. is currently being held in a federal maximum-security prison in Hermosillo, Sonora.
Chávez, a former WBC middleweight champion, is the son of the legendary boxer Julio César Chávez Sr. He famously battled Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in 2017 but lost handily in the all-Mexican affair. Recently, Chávez Jr. has been battling alcohol addiction and has competed at a lower level since quitting on the stool against Daniel Jacobs in 2019.
Chávez’s loss to Paul was a disappointment for many boxing purists as the former champion was reluctant to engage for much of the contest, though when he did let his hands go in the final couple of rounds, he had success leading many to feel that if he had began the fight with the intent to win, rather than survive, he might’ve emerged victorious against Paul.