Mexican Boxing Legend Julio Cesar Chavez Stands By His Son Following ICE Arrest: 'He's Not a Criminal'

Mexican boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez defended his son following his arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in California last week.

Speaking to El Heraldo outlet, Chavez Sr. described the situation as "complicated" and said "there is a lot of talk, but we're calm because we know my son's innocence." "My son will be anything you want, anything, but he is not a criminal and less everything he's being accused of," he added.

The former boxer went on to address the accusations that his son has ties to the Sinaloa Cartel. He didn't dismiss potential contacts but claimed they don't necessarily mean being involved in illegal affairs.

"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," Chavez said. "In my time I met everybody and they didn't come for me," he added.

Mexican investigative journalist Anabel Hernández detailed that Chávez Jr. married Frida Muñoz, who was previously married to Édgar Guzmán López, one of El Chapo's sons who was killed in 2008. According to Hernández, Édgar was considered to be the drug lord's favorite son, and Muñoz was allowed to remain part of the family's inner circle after his death.

"Anyone who married her would have to pass through many filters set by this criminal clan and the one who passed those filters and became the beneficiary of the fortune left to Frida by Guzmán López was Julio César Chávez Jr.," Hernández said.

In another passage of the interview, the boxing legend said his son's lawyers are "working to see if he stays there" but anticipated that "we're prepared if he comes here," in reference to Mexico. "We'll fight under Mexican law if he's transferred here."

The whereabouts of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. are currently unknown after his lawyer said he missed a court appointment unrelated to his arrest. "We have no idea. We have no information, unfortunately," Michael Goldstein told USA Today when asked if the boxer was still in the U.S. Chavez Jr. was scheduled to appear before a court on Monday to petition for early release connected to a pretrial diversion program over gun charges filed against him in 2024.

Goldstein added that he was able to confirm on Saturday that his client had been under Department of Homeland Security (DHS) custody in Hidalgo, Texas. The agency had announced the arrest of Chavez Jr. last Thursday, adding that it expected to deport him due to his irregular migratory status.

The agency detailed in a statement when announcing his arrest that Chavez, a former boxing world champion, also has an "active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives." It added that the boxer was arrested in Studio City, California, on July 2.