Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr arrested by US immigration officers, DHS says

NEW YORK/MEXICO CITY, July 3 (Reuters) – Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr has been arrested in Los Angeles and will be deported, US immigration authorities said on Thursday, just days after he lost to American rival Jake Paul.

US Department of Homeland Security said Chavez was found to be in the country illegally last week after he made false statements on a 2024 application for permanent residence. He is married to a US citizen, they said.

Michael Goldstein, Chavez’s lawyer, said more than a dozen immigration agents arrested the boxer at his home in the Studio City area of Los Angeles on Wednesday.

“These allegations are ridiculous and seem to be a headline to scare the community,” Goldstein said.

Homeland Security said the 39-year-old boxer, son of Mexican world champion Julio Cesar Chavez, has ties to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, which is designated as a foreign terrorist organization by Washington.

His wife, Frida Munoz Chavez, was previously married to the son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who is serving a life sentence in a US prison.

The son, Edgar, was killed in 2008.

Chavez has a Mexican arrest warrant for organized crime and firearms trafficking, DHS said.

In Mexico, Chavez’s family said in a statement they “fully trust in his innocence.”

Chavez lost to Paul, 28, last weekend in front of a sold-out crowd in Anaheim, California, by unanimous decision after 10 rounds.

He was allowed to enter the US temporarily in early January under former President Joe Biden, DHS said. He had overstayed a tourist visa, they said.

The agency said Chavez was convicted in Los Angeles in 2024 on weapons charges. Goldstein said he was not convicted, he pleaded not guilty and was granted mental health diversion which will result in dismissal of the charges.

Chavez won the WBC middleweight title in 2011 but lost it the next year.

His career has been marred by controversies including a suspension after testing positive for a banned substance in 2009 and a fine and suspension after testing positive for marijuana in 2013.

His record is 54-6-1 with 34 knockouts.