Boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has been deported from the United States to Mexico following accusations of drug trafficking and ties to the Sinaloa Cartel.
Chavez Jr. was handed over to Mexican authorities after overstaying his visa and lying on his green card application. Following his arrest and 46-day detainment, officials confirmed he would be deported to Mexico, where an active warrant for his arrest was already in place. He was taken to a prison in the northern state of Sonora.
According to Mexico’s attorney general, Alejandro Gertz Manero, investigations into Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. lasted four years. The warrant, issued in 2023, accused him of cartel connections and alleged involvement in trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives.
Chavez Jr.—the son of legendary boxer Julio Cesar Chavez—was taken into custody after his high-profile bout with Jake Paul. His career, however, has long been overshadowed by controversy. The fighter has battled drug addiction for years and faced multiple suspensions and failed drug tests. In 2012, he was convicted of drunken driving in Los Angeles and sentenced to 13 days in jail.
More recently, in January 2024, he was arrested on gun charges after police found two AR-style ghost rifles in his possession. He was released on a $50,000 bond on the condition that he enter a residential drug treatment facility. That case remains pending, with Chavez required to provide regular updates on his progress.
Despite his troubles, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. once showed undeniable talent in the ring. The 39-year-old former middleweight champion shared the ring with elite opponents such as Canelo Alvarez, Sergio Martinez, and Daniel Jacobs. In later years, he stepped into crossover bouts against MMA names, including a loss to Anderson Silva and a decision win over UFC veteran Uriah Hall. His most recent fight came in June against Jake Paul, where he dropped a lackluster decision, leaving him 3-3 in his last six outings.
Once considered one of boxing’s brightest stars, his career has unraveled under the weight of addiction, controversy, and now deportation. Whether or not Chavez Jr. can find redemption remains uncertain, but his story stands as a cautionary tale in the fight game.
