Mexican authorities have jailed former WBC middleweight champion Julio César Chávez Jr. in the maximum-security Cefereso No. 11 prison in Hermosillo, Sonora, after the United States deported him on 18 August. The 39-year-old was handed over at the Dennis DeConcini border crossing in Nogales and placed under the custody of the Federal Ministerial Police before his pre-dawn transfer to the facility, according to the National Detention Registry. Chávez faces a federal arrest warrant issued in March 2023 for alleged participation in organised crime and trafficking of firearms, ammunition and explosives. Prosecutors say he served as an enforcer for a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel led by Néstor Ernesto Pérez Salas, known as “El Nini”. President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed the deportation on Tuesday and said the boxer will be brought before a federal judge. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Chávez on 2 July in Studio City, California, after he overstayed a tourist visa and allegedly lied on a permanent-residency application. He had remained in ICE custody until the transfer to Mexican authorities. Chávez, the son of boxing legend Julio César Chávez Sr., held the WBC middleweight title in 2011–12 but has since faced multiple legal problems and suspensions. His family rejects the cartel allegations, saying he will contest the charges in court.