DHS Announces Arrest Of Mexican Boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. For Deportation, Citing Organized Crime And Cartel Ties

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was arrested on Wednesday, July 2nd, by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Studio City, California, and they are deporting him deported from the United States to Mexico.

ICE Deports Chavez Jr. to Mexico

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is in charge of removing the 39-year-old former WBC junior middleweight champion Chavez Jr. from the U.S.

On the DHS website, they state that Mexican citizen Chavez Jr. has “an active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives.”

DHS: Chavez Jr. Sinaloa Affiliate

The DHS adds that Chavez Jr. is believed to be an affiliate of the Sinaloa Cartel. Last year, he was arrested on January 7th, 2024, in Los Angeles and “charged with Illegal Possession of Any Assault Weapon and Manufacture or Import Short Barreled Rifle.”

Chavez Jr’s arrest comes just days after his 10-round unanimous decision loss to the popular YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul on June 28th in Anaheim, California. That fight was shown nationwide in the U.S on DAZN PPV. It’s unclear why Chavez Jr. (54-7-1, 34 KOs) wasn’t arrested before the fight, as the fight was well-promoted.

It’s unknown how the arrest and deportation of Chavez Jr. will affect his boxing career long term. If he were imprisoned in Mexico for any length of time, that would potentially end his career. He’s 39, and he’s not beaten a significant name in many years.

His loss to Jake Paul was another one of his many disappointing performances. Surprisingly, Chavez Jr. is still being offered lucrative fights despite his losses.

During the zenith of Chavez Jr’s career between 2010 and 2012, he beat some solid 154 and 160-pounders, capturing the WBC middleweight title with a knockout of Andy Lee. However, in his first defense against Sergio Martinez, he lost a wide 12-round unanimous decision in 2012. It’s been downhill for Chavez Jr. ever since that defeat, as he’s lost to these fighters:

Jake Paul
Anderson Silva
Mario Abel Cazares
Daniel Jacobs
Canelo Alvarez
Andrzej Fonfara