From the Ring to Prison: Julio Cesar Chavez Jr Faces Cartel Allegations in Mexico

Former world boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr has been jailed in Mexico following his deportation from the United States, Sport360NG reports.

The 39-year-old was taken into custody in July by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Studio City, Los Angeles, just days after his fight against Jake Paul in Anaheim.

Mexican prosecutors accuse Chavez Jr of working with the Sinaloa cartel, a powerful criminal organisation that was classified as a foreign terrorist group by Washington earlier this year.

According to Mexico’s national arrest registry, the ex-WBC middleweight title holder was detained at a checkpoint in the border city of Nogales on Tuesday morning before being transferred to a federal prison in Hermosillo, the capital of Sonora state.

President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed during her daily press briefing that Chavez Jr had been deported to Mexico, adding that authorities had already issued a warrant for his arrest on charges related to arms trafficking and organised crime.

The Mexican attorney general’s office has not commented on the case.

Chavez Jr, who reigned as world champion between 2011 and 2012, is the son of boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez. His family and legal representatives have strongly denied allegations linking him to cartel activity.