By Amy Tennery and Angelica Medina
NEW YORK/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -U.S. immigration authorities have arrested Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in Los Angeles and plan to deport him, they said on Thursday, just days after he lost a high-profile bout to American rival Jake Paul.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Chavez was decided to be in the nation illegally last week after he made fraudulent statements on a 2024 software for everlasting residence. He is married to a U.S. citizen, it said.
Michael Goldstein, a lawyer for Chavez, said more than two dozen immigration brokers arrested the boxer at his home in the Studio City space of Los Angeles on Wednesday.
“The current allegations are outrageous and appear to be designed as a headline to terrorize the community,” Goldstein said.
Homeland Security said that the 39-year-old boxer, son of Mexican world champion fighter Julio Cesar Chavez, is suspected of ties to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, which Washington has designated a overseas terrorist group.
His spouse, Frida Munoz Chavez, was beforehand married to the son of former Sinaloa cartel chief Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who is serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison. The son, Edgar, was assassinated in 2008.
Chavez is the goal of a Mexican arrest warrant on allegations of involvement in organized crime and firearms trafficking, DHS said.
In Mexico, Chavez’ household said in a assertion they “fully trust in his innocence.”
Chavez lost to influencer-turned-boxer Paul, 28, last weekend before a sold-out crowd in Anaheim, California, in a unanimous determination after 10 rounds.
He was allowed to enter the United States quickly in early January under former President Joe Biden, DHS said. He had beforehand overstayed a vacationer visa, it said.
The company said Chavez was convicted in Los Angeles in 2024 on weapons prices. Goldstein denied he was convicted, saying he pleaded not guilty and was granted mental health diversion which will outcome in dismissal of the prices.
Chavez won the WBC middleweight championship in 2011, but lost the title the next 12 months.
His profession has been overshadowed by controversies including a suspension after testing optimistic for a banned substance in 2009 and a nice and suspension after testing optimistic for marijuana in 2013.
His file stands at 54 wins, six losses and one draw, with 34 knockouts.
(Reporting by Brendan O’Brien and Bhargav Acharya, Lizbeth Diaz, Angelica Medina, Diego Ore and Kylie Madry in Mexico City, Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Bill Berkrot)
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