Boxer Chávez Jr. Expected to Be Deported to Mexico to Serve Sentence, Mexican President Says

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Chávez should serve time in Mexico as U.S. officials cited cartel connections and public safety concerns.

Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. enters the ring before his fight against Jake Paul at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on June 28, 2025. Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images via Reuters

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on July 4 that she expects boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. to be deported to Mexico to serve a prison sentence after his arrest in Los Angeles by U.S. immigration authorities.

“The hope is that he will be deported and serve the sentence in Mexico,” Sheinbaum said during a news briefing on July 4, referring to charges the boxer faces in Mexico related to arms and drug trafficking.

She added that Mexico had not previously arrested Chávez because he had primarily been living in the United States.

Chávez, 39, was arrested on July 2 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Studio City, Los Angeles, just days after he lost a boxing match to social media influencer Jake Paul in Anaheim, California. His attorney, Michael Goldstein, said federal agents detained the boxer while he was riding a scooter outside his residence in the upscale neighborhood near Hollywood.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Chávez overstayed a tourist visa he obtained when he entered the United States in August 2023. The agency also accused Chavez of making multiple fraudulent statements on an application for lawful permanent residency, based on his marriage to U.S. citizen Frida Munoz, who is connected to the Sinaloa cartel through a prior relationship with the son of cartel kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

Chavez has an active arrest warrant issued in 2023 for alleged involvement with the Sinaloa cartel and the trafficking of firearms, ammunition, and explosives. U.S. immigration officials say he has links to organized crime and called him an “egregious public safety threat,” but a Biden-era entry in a DHS law enforcement system indicated he was not an immigration enforcement priority.

“It is shocking the previous administration flagged this criminal illegal alien as a public safety threat, but chose to not prioritize his removal and let him leave and COME BACK into our country,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “Under President Trump, no one is above the law—including world-famous athletes. Our message to any cartel affiliates in the U.S. is clear: We will find you and you will face consequences. The days of unchecked cartel violence are over.”

Chavez’s attorney has denied the allegations, calling them “outrageous” and suggesting they are simply “another headline to terrorize the community.”

Chavez, son of legendary boxing champion Julio César Chávez Sr., has had several brushes with the law in the United States, including a DUI conviction in 2012, driving without a license, and illegal gun possession charges in 2024.

His boxing career has also faced setbacks due to failed drug tests, suspensions, and missing target weights for scheduled fights.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.