US immigration authorities have arrested Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, the 39-year-old former Mexican middleweight world boxing champion, and intend to deport him to Mexico, where officials say he faces an active arrest warrant for his alleged involvement in organised crime.
The arrest was carried out on Thursday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Studio City, Los Angeles, just days after Chavez Jr lost a high-profile fight to YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Anaheim, California.
According to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Chavez Jr is accused of ties to the notorious Sinaloa cartel and of engaging in the trafficking of firearms, ammunition and explosives. The statement referred to Chavez Jr as a “criminal illegal alien” and said he is being processed for “expedited removal”.
“Chavez is a Mexican citizen who has an active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organised crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives,” the DHS said.
The DHS further alleged that Chavez Jr had sought US permanent residency through marriage to a US citizen said to be connected to the cartel via a prior relationship with the deceased son of Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán, the infamous Sinaloa cartel leader.
Officials also claim that Chavez Jr, son of boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez Sr, had previously been arrested and jailed in the US for various offences, including illegal possession of an assault weapon in January 2024. They further allege that he overstayed a tourist visa that expired in February and made fraudulent claims to immigration authorities.
In response, Chavez Jr’s lawyer Michael Goldstein dismissed the allegations as “outrageous”, insisting the arrest is part of a wider political agenda to stoke fear among Latino communities.
“This is the first we’ve ever heard of these outrageous allegations,” Goldstein told NBC. “This is nothing more than another headline to terrorise the Latin community.”
Two weeks before his bout against Paul, Chavez Jr had publicly criticised the immigration raids occurring across Los Angeles. Speaking to the LA Times during an open workout, he said his trainer was afraid to show up for work for fear of deportation and accused US immigration agents of “giving the community an example of violence.”
“I was even scared, to tell you the truth. It’s very ugly,” he said.
He went on to criticise President Donald Trump, accusing him of targeting Latino immigrants unfairly.
“I’m from Sinaloa, where things are really ugly, and to come here, to such a beautiful country with everything… and see Trump attacking immigrants, Latinos, for no reason. Not being with God makes you think you know everything. Trump made a bad decision.”
He added, poignantly: “After everything that’s happened, I wouldn’t want to be deported.”
Chavez Jr’s arrest comes amid heightened immigration enforcement actions across the US and increased deportations under the Trump administration’s renewed focus on law and order.
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