Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Speaks For The First Time Since Being Arrested In The U.S. On Cartel-Related Charges: 'It Was Shocking'

Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. spoke publicly for the first time since he was arrested in the U.S. on cartel-related charges, calling the incident a "shock."

"I went out to skate and five patrol cars arrived on the second lap," Chavez told TUDN. "When I was first arrested me they took me to a temporary detention center. There, they fill out the paperwork and I thought 'I'm being deported, take me to my dad.' But that's where the ordeal actually began."

Chavez went on to explain he is being allowed to continue boxing while the case against him moves forward. "I was told I had to sign papers each month and that I can leave the country or box as long as I have a permit and good behavior."

Asked whether he is guilty, he said: "Of course I am. I am not a drug-trafficker, and everyone in Culiacan knows that. Beating people on behalf of a cartel... no. Thank god I never had to do it."

Chavez Jr. is set to step back into the ring in December, his father, legendary boxer Julio Cesar Chavez said in late September. He revealed that both Julio Jr. and his brother Omar Chávez are preparing for a joint card later this year. The patriarch, widely considered one of Mexico's greatest fighters, even hinted that he could lace up his gloves for an exhibition bout on the same night.

"Everything is fine, thank God. I'll give you a scoop. My son Julio and my son Omar are going to fight in San Luis Potosí on December 13. And maybe I'll get in the ring for an exhibition fight too," Chávez Sr. told reporters at Mexico City's international airport.

The comeback will take place on December 13 in San Luis Potosí is surrounded by controversy. Just weeks ago, Chávez Jr. was released from a federal prison in Hermosillo, Sonora, where he was being held after deportation from the United States. A judge granted him conditional freedom while he awaits trial.

Authorities accuse the 38-year-old boxer of participating in clandestine arms trafficking, part of a broader investigation that the Mexican Attorney General's Office launched in 2019 against the Sinaloa Cartel. U.S. officials had flagged Chávez Jr. in connection with cross-border smuggling, and Mexican prosecutors eventually tied him to the case.