The recent arrest of Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chávez Jr. by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents has caused his father and namesake to come out swinging in his defense.

Chávez Jr. was arrested in Studio City, California, on July 2, mere days after competing against YouTuber and boxer Jake Paul in a televised bout.

According to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), “Chavez is a Mexican citizen who has an active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives.”

In April of 2024, Chávez Sr. Jr. applied to become a Lawful Permanent Resident of the United States based on his marriage to an American citizen. However, his spouse has connections to the Sinaloa Cartel through her previous relationship with the now-deceased son of infamous Sinaloa boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the DHS statement explains.

The U.S. Customs and Immigration Service report found Chavez Jr. to be an egregious public safety threat and informed ICE of this finding in December of 2024. However, because the Biden administration deemed the Mexican fighter to be a low enforcement priority, Chavez Jr. was allowed to reenter the United States.

Chávez Jr. also made multiple fraudulent statements on his application to become a Lawful Permanent Resident, the DHS report says.

Julio Cesar Chávez Sr. disputes the government’s claims about his son.

“It’s complicated, there’s a lot of talk, but we’re calm because we know my son’s innocence,” Chávez Sr. told Spanish-language newspaper El Heraldo. “My son will be anything you want, anything, but he is not a criminal and less everything he’s being accused of.

“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,” Chávez Sr. continued. “In my time, I met everybody, and they did not come after me.”

Chávez Sr. did indeed meet drug dealers during his prime in the 1980s and 1990s. However, times are different.

The Mexican fighting legend further sought to downplay the charge by asking why American authorities waited until after his fight with Jake Paul to arrest his son.

“Why did they let him fight? My son has been paying taxes in the United States for three years, and now in Mexico, they’re accusing him of money laundering. Yes, he knows those people, but that doesn’t mean I’m a drug trafficker. Let’s trust the law.”

If she has her way, the law and Chávez Jr. will soon be in Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s hands. The recently elected Mexican president has expressed her desire that the younger Chávez be deported to Mexico, where he can serve his sentence.