FILE - Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. arrives for his cruiserweight boxing match against Jake Paul, in Anaheim, Calif., June 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent, File)
ELMEXICO CITY (AP) — Boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. has been deported to Mexico, where he's wanted for alleged cartel ties, following his arrest in the U.S. for overstaying his visa and lying on a green card application.
Chávez was handed over by authorities and admitted to a prison outside of the city of Hermosillo, in the northern state of Sonora, an official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed the news at her daily press conference.
“I understand he was deported. I don’t know if it was yesterday or this morning, but we were informed that he was arriving in Mexico," Sheinbaum said.
Chávez, 39, had a warrant for his arrest in Mexico for alleged arms and drug trafficking and ties to the Sinaloa Cartel. Alejandro Gertz Manero, Mexico’s attorney general, said the investigation into Chávez started in 2019.
The boxer, who is the , was arrested July 3 days after his in California.
Sheinbaum said after the arrest she to face his charges.
Chávez's father in the 1980s and '90s who mixed social circles with drug dealers and claimed to have been friends with drug lord .
following his arrest, but has not spoken since the deportation.
The younger Chávez has battled drug addiction for much of his boxing career, , serving suspensions and egregiously missing weight while being widely criticized for his intermittent dedication to the sport.
Chavez won the WBC middleweight title in 2011 and defended it three times. He shared the ring with generational greats and Sergio Martinez, losing to both.
In 2012, he was convicted of in Los Angeles and sentenced to 13 days in jail. In January 2024, he was arrested on gun charges. Police said he possessed two AR-style ghost rifles. He was later freed on a $50,000 bond and on condition he went to a residential drug treatment facility. The case is still pending, with Chávez reporting his progress regularly.
___
AP boxing:
. All rights reserved.
“We should be the Taylor Swift of financial institutions.”
Across Canada, trade tensions with the United States are hitting close to home—and…
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
