Boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. to stand trial in Mexico over alleged cartel ties

A judge in Mexico said boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. will stand trial over alleged cartel ties and arms trafficking but could await that trial outside of detention, the boxer’s lawyer said.

Chávez’s lawyer, Rubén Fernando Benítez Alvarez, confirmed that the court imposed additional measures and granted three months of further investigation into the case. He described the claims against his client as “speculation” and “urban legends” following the court hearing yesterday [Macau time] in the northern Mexican city of Hermosillo.

If convicted, Chávez — who took part in the hearing virtually from a detention facility — could face a prison sentence of between four and eight years, Alvarez said.

Chávez, 39, who had been living in the United States for several years, was arrested in early July by federal agents outside his Los Angeles home for overstaying his visa and providing inaccurate details on an application to obtain a green card. The arrest came just days after a fight he had with famed American boxer Jake Paul in Los Angeles.

Since 2019, Mexican prosecutors have been investigating the boxer following a complaint filed by U.S. authorities against the Sinaloa Cartel for organized crime, human trafficking, arms trafficking and drug trafficking.

The case led to investigations against 13 people, among them Ovidio Guzmán López — the son of convicted drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán — along with some collaborators, hitmen and accomplices of the criminal organization. Guzmán López was arrested in January 2023 and extradited to the U.S. eight months later.

Following the inquiry, the Federal Attorney General’s Office issued several arrest warrants, including one against Chávez.

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said Chávez was wanted since 2023 in Mexico, but that he wasn’t detained because he spent most of the time in the U.S.

“The hope is that he will be deported and serve the sentence in Mexico,” Sheinbaum said in July.

The boxer, who is the son of Mexican boxing great Julio César Chávez, was deported by the U.S. on Aug. 19 and handed over to agents of the Federal Attorney General’s Office in Sonora state, who transferred him to the Federal Social Reintegration Center in Hermosillo.

The high profile case come as the Trump administration is pressuring Mexico to crack down on organized crime, canceling visas of notable Mexican artists and celebrities and ramping up deportations.

Chávez has struggled with drug addiction throughout his career and has been arrested multiple times. In 2012, he was found guilty of driving under the influence in Los Angeles and was sentenced to 13 days in jail.

He was arrested last year for weapons possession. Police reported that Chávez had two rifles. He was released shortly afterward upon posting $50,000 bail, on the condition that he attend a facility to receive treatment for his addiction. ABRAHAM TÉLLEZ, HERMOSILLO, MDT/AP