Former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is fresh off a celebrity boxing match loss to Jake Paul. The 39-year-old son of legendary three-division world champion Julio Cesar Chavez is now dealing with something much bigger. On July 2, just three days after the fight, Chavez Jr. was arrested by ICE in Studio City, California.
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Arrested By ICE Days After Jake Paul Fight
Per reports Chavez Jr. is being accused of having dealings with the Sinaloa Cartel and there’s been an active warrant for his arrest in Mexico since 2023. According to the Mexican Attorney General, Chavez Jr. was ordered by Nestor Isidro Perez Salas, the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel who was captured and extradited to the United States in May 2024, to assault drug traffickers for any failures in carrying out their duties. The Mexican president wants Chavez Jr. to return to his homeland to serve his sentence.
Chavez Jr. Allegedly Was Violent Enforcer For Sinaloa Cartel
Per reports, Chavez Jr., who’s split time between the United and States and Mexico, was arrested by ICE on the grounds of overstaying his last six-month tourist visa which was issued in August 2023 and expired in February 2024. Not only that, per the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Chávez Jr. also submitted multiple false statements about his wife Frida Munoz, a U.S citizen with family ties to well-known Sinaloa Cartel kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who’s currently imprisoned.
According to information gathered from tapped phone calls between December 2021 and June 2022, he was reportedly directed by ‘El Nini’ to beat up captured rival members. The rivals were tied up and hung from the ceiling for Chavez to beat as if they were a punching bag.
In a Friday briefing on the Chavez Jr. situation, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum was blunt and straightforward in what she wants to happen to the boxer.
“The hope is that he will be deported and serve the sentence in Mexico,” Sheinbaum said during her daily news briefing Friday, referring to charges that Chávez faces for arms and drug trafficking.
Chavez Jr. Underachieved In Career
Although Chavez Jr. finished his career with a solid 54-7–1-1 (34 KOs) record also winning the WBC middleweight championship in 2011, he largely underachieved. Throughout his career his commitment and discipline to the sport and craft were questioned, something his legendary dad always displayed.
Chavez Jr.’s personal struggles with substance abuse also played a role in his lack of focus and performance in the ring. Marquee losses to Sergio Martinez and Canelo Alvarez where he was thoroughly outclassed also didn’t help Chavez Jr.’s focus as he seemed to not care even more following both losses.