MEXICO CITY (AP) — Julio César Chávez, considered the best Mexican boxer in history, fathered three children. His firstborn carried his name and came the closest to duplicating his success in the ring.
Julio César Chávez Jr., who was arrested in Los Angeles by federal immigration agents on Thursday for overstaying his visa, grew up traveling with his younger brother, Omar, to watch their dad’s fights.
The elder Chávez won world titles in three weight classes in the 1980s and ‘90s and became a sporting icon in Mexico, where he remains revered.
Chávez Jr. and Omar began learning the sport a young age. The younger Chávez, who’s now 39, fought as an amateur at age 11 against Jorge “Maromerito” Páez, the son of another Mexican fighter, Jorge Páez.
Chávez made his professional debut at age 17, beating Jonathan Hernandez in a six-round bout in his hometown of Culiacan.
“The Son of a Legend,” as he was called in Mexico, went 23-0 to start his career before a draw against Carlos Molina in 2005.
The world title
Although Omar also fought as a professional, “Julito” was more talented, and he won his first title in 2009 — in the World Boxing Council Latino super featherweight division.
That year, Chávez tested positive for a banned substance after his fight with Troy Rowland in Las Vegas. He received a seven-month suspension in Nevada.
A year later, he won the vacant WBC silver middleweight crown, defeating John Duddy by unanimous decision.
On June 4, 2011, Chávez reached the pinnacle of his career when he won the WBC middleweight title, defeating Sebastian Zbik by majority decision at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
He successfully defended the crown three times: edging Peter Manfredo Jr. by technical knockout, winning by unanimous decision over Marco Rubio and defeating Andy Lee, also by TKO.
Against Rubio, Chávez struggled to make weight.
His first pay-per-view bout, and loss
Chávez’s first pay-per-view bout came in 2012 at age 26 against Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez of Argentina, who was 37 at the time.
Martinez, who had won world titles in two weight classes, defeated Chávez by unanimous decision and the Mexican’s record fell to 46-1-1.
After the fight, Chávez was suspended for nine months and fined $900,000 by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after he tested positive for marijuana.
The Canelo fight
After the loss to Martinez, Chávez struggled to regain his prior form and fought just five times in five years.
Chávez had another high-profile opportunity in 2017 when he fought Canelo Alvarez in Las Vegas in his second pay-per-view fight.
The bout was highly anticipated in Mexico, pitting one of the country’s most popular fighters in Alvarez against the “Son of a Legend,” who lost by unanimous decision.
The downward spiral
After the loss to Alvarez, Chávez’s struggles with addiction became evident and his relationship with his father deteriorated.
He stopped fighting for two years, returning to win a minor bout in Guadalajara.
In 2019, Chávez lost to former middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs in Las Vegas.
After that, he fought again in Mexico, including a loss to former mixed martial arts champion Anderson Silva by split decision in 2021.
Chávez spent the next three years away from the ring and drew attention for TikTok videos in which he accused his father of various forms of abuse.
In January of last year, Los Angeles police arrested Chávez and charged him with illegal possession of an assault weapon, among other offenses.
After that, Chávez claimed to have completed a rehabilitation program and was ready to get back in the ring. He defeated Uriah Hall in Tampa, Florida, last July before losing to YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul last weekend in Anaheim, California.
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