Judge rules boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. will face trial in Mexico over alleged cartel connections
A judge in Mexico ruled that boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. will face trial over alleged ties to a cartel and arms trafficking, though he may await the proceedings outside detention, according to his lawyer.
Chávez’s attorney, Rubén Fernando Benítez Alvarez, said the court ordered additional measures and allowed three more months for investigation. Alvarez described the allegations as “speculation” and “urban legends” following a Saturday hearing in Hermosillo, northern Mexico. If convicted, Chávez could face four to eight years in prison.
The 39-year-old, who joined the hearing virtually from a detention facility, had been living in the U.S. for several years. He was arrested in early July by U.S. authorities near his Los Angeles home for overstaying his visa and providing false information on a green card application, just days after fighting American boxer Jake Paul.
Mexican prosecutors have been investigating Chávez since 2019 following a complaint filed by U.S. authorities against the Sinaloa Cartel, involving organized crime, human trafficking, arms trafficking, and drug trafficking. The investigation also targeted 13 other individuals, including Ovidio Guzmán López, son of convicted drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, along with cartel collaborators and hitmen. Guzmán López was arrested in January 2023 and extradited to the U.S. eight months later.
Following the inquiry, Mexico’s Federal Attorney General’s Office issued several arrest warrants, including one for Chávez. President Claudia Sheinbaum noted that Chávez had been wanted in Mexico since 2023 but remained in the U.S., preventing his detention. Sheinbaum said authorities hope he will serve any sentence in Mexico.
Chávez was deported by the U.S. on August 19 and handed over to Mexican federal agents in Sonora state, who transferred him to the Federal Social Reintegration Center in Hermosillo.
The case comes amid heightened U.S. pressure on Mexico to combat organized crime, including visa restrictions on high-profile Mexicans and an increase in deportations. Chávez, son of boxing legend Julio César Chávez, has battled drug addiction throughout his career and has faced multiple arrests, including a 2012 DUI conviction in Los Angeles and a weapons possession arrest last year, when he posted $50,000 bail and agreed to enter a treatment facility.
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