Mexico confirms 2023 arrest warrant for boxer awaiting deportation

STUDIO CITY, Calif. (KESQ) - Officials in Mexico have confirmed they have an arrest warrant pending for former middleweight boxing champion Julio César Chávez Jr. on charges of involvement in organized crime and arms trafficking and have been in touch with U.S. authorities to start extradition procedures, according to a New York Times report. 

Department of Homeland Security detained Chávez Wednesday, July 2 and said he would be deported soon to his native Mexico -- citing the warrant in Mexico, his being in the U.S. illegally and his alleged ties to the Sinaloa cartel.

A spokesman for Mexico's Attorney General's Office told the Times the warrant was issued in March 2023.
   His U.S. detention came four days after Chávez lost a pay-per-view bout in Anaheim to influencer-boxer Jake Paul.   

Less than two hours after news of Chávez's detention became public, Paul posted an American flag emoji on X with no text or explanation, but some observers interpreted it as an expression of support for Chávez's deportation.   

Chávez lost the 10-round unanimous decision to Paul Saturday at the Honda Center.

Federal authorities allege Chávez tried to get permanent status based on his marriage to a woman associated with the now-dead son of imprisoned Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquin `El Chapo' Guzman.

In a news release, DHS referred to Chávez as a ``prominent Mexican boxer and criminal illegal alien,'' and said the son of his namesake boxing legend is being processed ``for expedited removal from the United States.''   

``Chávez is a Mexican citizen who has an active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition and explosives,'' the DHS statement said.

Chávez's lawyer Michael Goldstein told the New York Times his client was picked up by a group of 25 or more immigration and law enforcement agents outside of his home in Studio City and called the allegations ``outrageous'' saying the ``brazen'' arrest appears ``to be designed to terrorize the community.

``They blocked off his street and took him into custody, leaving his family without any knowledge of his whereabouts,'' Goldstein told the Los Angeles Times.

He added in a statement to the media that ``Mr. Chávez is not a threat to the community. In fact, he is a public figure and has been living out in the open and just fought Jake Paul in a televised boxing match before millions of viewers."

"His workouts were open to the public and afforded law enforcement countless opportunities to contact him if he was indeed a public threat. He has been focused on his own personal growth and mental health. He is in full compliance with his mental health diversion and all court obligations. For this reason, we fully expect his only pending case to be dismissed as required by statute.''

The Los Angeles Police Department arrested Chávez on gun charges in January 2024, saying he possessed two AR-style ghost rifles. He was charged with illegal possession of an assault weapon and manufacture or import of a short barreled rifle. He was later freed on a $50,000 bond on condition he go to a residential drug treatment facility and report his progress regularly.   

Goldstein said the DHS' news release falsely stated Chávez had been convicted of gun charges.  

"Absolutely incorrect,'' Goldstein told The Athletic. "He entered a not guilty plea and was granted diversion which will lead to a complete dismissal."  

According to the government, Chávez entered the U.S. legally in August 2023, having obtained a B2 tourist visa that expired in February 2024.   

"Chávez is also believed to be an affiliate of the Sinaloa Cartel, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization,'' according to the government statement.

It further stated Chávez applied for Lawful Permanent Residence status on April 12, 2024, based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen "who is connected to the Sinaloa Cartel through a prior relationship with the now-deceased son of the infamous cartel leader Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman.

In December 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services labeled Chávez "an egregious public safety threat'' and referred the case to ICE.   

"However, an entry in a DHS law enforcement system under the Biden administration indicated Chávez was not an immigration enforcement priority,'' the DHS statement said. ``On Jan. 4, 2025, the Biden administration allowed Chávez to reenter the country and paroled him into the country at the San Ysidro port of entry."  

The government alleges Chávez made ``multiple fraudulent statements on his application to become a Lawful Permanent Resident.''   

"He was determined to be in the country illegally and removable on June 27, 2025,''  DHS said.

Chávez won the World Boxing Council middleweight championship with a 12-round majority decision over then-champion Sebastian Zbik on June 4, 2011, at Staples Center, made three successful title defenses, then lost the title to Sergio Martínez in a 12-round unanimous decision on Sept. 15, 2012, in Las Vegas.