U.S. authorities deported Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. this week, and Mexican officials immediately took him into custody. The former world champion boxer now sits in a high-security prison in Sonora.
He spent 46 days in U.S. detention before being flown out on August 18. Mexican authorities immediately transferred him to Hermosillo shortly before noon.
The 39-year-old’s arrest stems from a warrant issued in his home country. Mexican officials accuse him of trafficking weapons, ammunition, and explosives, and of holding ties to cartel figures.
Chavez Jr. was first detained in Los Angeles on July 2. ICE agents took him into custody just days after his boxing match with Jake Paul.
The Department of Homeland Security said he overstayed a tourist visa that expired in February 2024. They also accused him of lying on a green card application filed last April.
Court documents suggest Chavez Jr. made fraudulent statements during the residency process. His marriage to U.S. citizen Frida Muñoz was cited as the basis for that application.
Authorities in Mexico say he could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted. Their investigation reportedly began in 2019 under Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero.
The charges come during a troubled stretch in Chavez Jr.’s career. He has long battled drug addiction, failed drug tests, and served suspensions across different governing bodies.
He was once viewed as boxing royalty, carrying the name of his legendary father Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. That heritage carried him into the spotlight, but his career often failed to match the hype.
In 2011, he captured the WBC middleweight title and defended it three times. High-profile defeats followed against Canelo Álvarez and Sergio Martinez.
Legal issues have since overshadowed his time in the ring. Courts convicted Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. of DUI in 2012, police arrested him on gun charges in 2024, and critics often slammed him for missed weight.
For now, Chavez Jr. remains behind bars in Sonora. His future hinges on how Mexico pursues the case and whether the allegations of cartel ties hold up in court.
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