Famed Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. has been arrested for overstaying his visa and lying on a green card application and will be deported to Mexico, where he faces organised crime charges, U.S. federal officials said Thursday.
The arrest comes only days after the former middleweight World Champion lost a match against influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Anaheim, California. The Department of Homeland Security said officials determined Chávez should be arrested on June 27, a day before the fight. It was unclear why they waited to act for days after the high-profile event.
The 39-year-old boxer was picked up Wednesday 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 terrorise 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 he and his client 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.
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, the Department of Homeland Security said.
Chávez also submitted multiple fraudulent statements while applying for a green card on April 2, 2024, based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen, Frida Muñoz, the agency said. Her previous partner was Édgar Guzmán López, the now-deceased son of imprisoned Sinaloa cartel kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services flagged ICE about Chávez on December 17, saying he “is an egregious public safety threat,” and yet he was allowed back into the country without a visa on January 4 under the Biden administration, the agency said.
U.S. officials said he has an active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organised crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives and is believed to be an affiliate of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office said that they’ve initiated extradition procedures for “Julio “C,” who has had an arrest warrant in Mexico since March 2023 for organised crime and arms trafficking. A federal agent who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly on the matter confirmed to The Associated Press that “Julio C” is Chávez Jr.
Before his bout with Paul on Saturday, Chávez had fought just once since 2021, having fallen to innumerable lows during a lengthy boxing career conducted in the shadow of his father, Julio César Chávez, one of the most beloved athletes in Mexican history and 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 criticised 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 shaken 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.”
