SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 30: Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. looks on before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before the game between the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park on July 30, 2024 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
Mexico City, Mexico – Julio César Chávez built a reputation as one of Mexico’s most celebrated athletes by fighting 115 times in the boxing ring. Now, the retired world champion says he’s preparing for a different kind of battle — this time to defend his son, Julio César Chávez Jr., from mounting legal troubles in both the United States and Mexico.
Chávez Jr., 39, was arrested by U.S. immigration agents at his Los Angeles home in late June for overstaying his visa and allegedly lying on his green card application. The arrest came just days after the former middleweight champion lost a highly publicized bout in Anaheim to influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul. The Department of Homeland Security said it had made the determination to arrest Chávez Jr. on June 27, a day before the fight, but did not explain the delay in executing the arrest.
What complicates the case further is that Chávez Jr. also faces an active arrest warrant in Mexico, where authorities allege his involvement in arms and drug trafficking, with suggested ties to the Sinaloa Cartel. Mexico’s Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero said the investigation dates back to 2019, part of a broader case triggered by U.S. complaints against cartel-linked organized crime, including human trafficking and money laundering.
In a statement to El Heraldo, Chávez Sr. called the allegations false and rooted in guilt by association. “My son will be anything you want, anything, but he is not a criminal,” he said. “He knows a lot of people, we live in Culiacán — it would be impossible not to know people involved in illicit activities, but that does not mean he is one of them.”
Chávez Sr. himself has never hidden his own associations from the past. In his prime during the 1980s and ‘90s, the boxing legend was a household name in Mexico and beyond, often seen in the company of powerful figures, including notorious drug trafficker Amado Carrillo Fuentes. “In my time, I met everybody, and they did not come after me,” he said.
Now, the elder Chávez says his family’s legal team in the U.S. is fighting to prevent extradition, while also preparing for a potential legal defense in Mexico. At least five injunctions filed on Chávez Jr.’s behalf have reportedly been denied due to his absence from Mexico.
“Let’s trust the law,” Chávez Sr. said. “We’ll fight this — in the U.S. or in Mexico — and we’ll prove his innocence.”
