Julio Cesar Chávez Defends Son After ICE Detainment Stemming From Cartel Ties
Father comes to his son's support, with plenty of questions remaining over "innocence."
The recent detainment of Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chávez, Jr. by ICE agents has sparked misguided controversy.
Julio Cesar Chávez, Jr. was detained by ICE agents in Los Angeles after a boxing match against Jake Paul. (Photo by Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images)
Chávez, Jr. was detained in Los Angeles days after a boxing match against internet celebrity Jake Paul, which Chavez lost.
Chávez, Jr. was detained for overstaying his visa in the United States but also faces serious charges in Mexico, potentially linked to the Sinaloa Cartel. Mexican officials have been vocal about their pursuit of Chavez, Jr., who has been under investigation by Mexico’s government since 2019 for alleged drug and weapons trafficking, as well as human trafficking.
He currently has an active arrest warrant in Mexico.
"The hope is that he will be deported and serve the sentence in Mexico," Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said regarding Chávez’s detainment in the United States.
Julio Cesar Chávez, Sr. with his son in 2005. (Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images)
Julio Cesar Chávez, Sr., widely regarded as one of Mexico’s greatest boxers, has publicly defended his son, calling the situation an injustice and proclaiming his son’s innocence. Chavez, Sr. argued that his son is innocent and that it is "impossible" for him to avoid associating with drug dealers in Mexico due to his son’s fame as a boxer.
"It’s complicated; there’s a lot of talk, but we’re calm because we know my son’s innocence," the elder Chávez told the Mexican outlet El Heraldo. "My son will be anything you want, anything, but he is not a criminal and less everything he’s being accused of," Chávez, Sr. argued in defense of his son.
"He knows a lot of people, we live in Culiacan, it would be impossible not to know all of the people that are doing illicit stuff, but that does not mean nothing," Chávez said. "In my time, I met everybody, and they did not come after me."
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 04: (R-L) Referee Jack Reiss, Julio Cesar Chávez Jr. of Mexico and Julio Cesar Chávez Sr. of Mexico pose following the WBC World Middleweight Title bout with Sebastian Zbik of Germany at Staples Center on June 4, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
Liberal outlets in the United States have criticized President Donald Trump for fearmongering by detaining Chávez, Jr. at his home. "Lawyers in the United States are working to see if he stays there, and we’re prepared if he comes here," the elder Chávez said.
"We’ll fight under Mexican law if he’s transferred here." Chávez stated, "Why did they let him fight? My son has been paying taxes in the United States for three years, and now in Mexico they’re accusing him of money laundering."
As Chávez, Jr.’s legal team battles his looming deportation from the U.S. with urgent injunctions filed in Mexico to delay his arrest, Mexican authorities are poised to swiftly bring him to justice, with charges awaiting him as early as this week.
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