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Boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. was arrested on Wednesday and faces deportation to México, according to a statement released by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The statement claims Chávez was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials on July 2 in Studio City, CA. It further claims he “has an active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives.” Specifically, Chávez is accused of being an affiliate of the Sinaloa Cartel.
The statement claims that the former middleweight champion is being processed for “expedited removal from the United States.” However, it makes no mention of when exactly he would be leaving the country. At present, he remains detained and awaits deportation.
Julio César Chávez Jr. Had Recently Fought Jake Paul
Chávez (54-7-1, 34 KOs, 1 NC) had recently faced Jake Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) in a 10-round cruiserweight contest. The highly publicized bout saw the American claim a unanimous decision win in what was a lacklustre fight for the first seven rounds. It was not until round eight that Chávez started to let his hands go. By then it was too late to turn the fight around.
Golden Boy Promotions and Most Valuable Promotions, who were involved in the promotion of the contest, have yet to make any statements regarding the arrest as this piece goes published. Paul has also not made a formal statement, though he did post a U.S. flag on X around the time the news became public. DAZN, who broadcasted the card as a pay-per-view, have also not commented as this piece goes published.
The Bizarreness of It All
The statement by DHS claims Chávez was “determined to be in the country illegally and removable on June 27, 2025.” That was the day before his fight with Paul. In order for a fight to take place in California, it needs approval from a government agency called the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC), something Paul-Chávez had received. Yet, officials only made the arrest days after the fight occured. If the government had an issue with Chávez being in the country, he should not have been allowed to face Paul at all.
The arrest is a reminder of the impact ICE raids could have on boxers and boxing fans. Matthew Brown of Brunch Boxing has delved into this and I highly recommend what he has written on the matter.
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