Ch\u00e1vez\u2019s eldest son, Julio C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez Jr<\/a>., was arrested by U.S. immigration agents<\/a> outside his home in Los Angeles on Wednesday, accused of overstaying his visa and lying on a green card application.<\/p>\n But more significant here in Culiacan was that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security also noted that there was an active warrant for his arrest in Mexico for alleged arms and drug trafficking and suggested ties to the Sinaloa Cartel. The agency said he would be processed for expedited removal.<\/p>\n The Legend<\/p>\n The name Julio C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez in Culiacan is like saying Diego Maradona in Argentina. People stop and conversations begin.<\/p>\n Ch\u00e1vez is the city\u2019s idol and source of pride, known simply as \u201cThe Legend.\u201d He went from a working class neighborhood along train tracks to the highest echelons of boxing fame and became a national hero.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Julio Cesar Chavez looks on during a ceremonial weigh-in for his son Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Jake Paul ahead of their cruiserweight boxing match, Friday, June 27, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo\/Chris Pizzello)<\/p>\n Julio Cesar Chavez looks on during a ceremonial weigh-in for his son Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Jake Paul ahead of their cruiserweight boxing match, Friday, June 27, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo\/Chris Pizzello)<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n But when the questions turn to Ch\u00e1vez\u2019s eldest son and the Sinaloa Cartel, conversation ends and eyes avert.<\/p>\n There was a time when many in Culiacan would speak of the cartel that carries their state\u2019s name, perhaps with euphemisms, but openly all the same, because its control was complete and for that they largely lived in peace.<\/p>\n But since a bloody feud erupted between factions of the cartel last year, following the abduction of Ismael \u201cEl Mayo\u201d Zambada to the United States by one of the sons of former leader Joaqu\u00edn \u201cEl Chapo\u201d Guzm\u00e1n, it\u2019s safer to avoid any mention at all.<\/p>\n Alleged cartel ties<\/p>\n In the stands Friday night, the arrest of The Legend\u2019s son, was on the minds of many, but discussed only in hushed voices.<\/p>\n \u00d3scar Arrieta, a sports reporter in Culiacan, covers boxing and said Ch\u00e1vez Jr.\u2019s arrest had had a big impact in Culiacan, largely because the \u201charsh\u201d way U.S. authorities linked him to organized crime.<\/p>\n U.S. authorities did not detail the alleged ties between Ch\u00e1vez Jr. and the cartel other than to mention that he married a U.S. citizen who is the mother of a granddaughter of Guzm\u00e1n.<\/p>\n He mused at why if there had been a Mexican arrest warrant since 2023, hadn\u2019t there been any effort to capture him. He was a very public figure, active on social media and for the past six months or more, training for a highly promoted fight in California. <\/p>\n On Friday, Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said that he had mostly been in the U.S. since the arrest warrant was issued.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it was also a way for the United States to expose the Mexican government in a way, but without a doubt much more impactful, because normally sports doesn\u2019t mix with anything else, much less with organized crime,\u201d Arrieta said.<\/p>\n \u2018An excellent person\u2019<\/p>\n Culiacan\u2019s boxing gyms had mostly been quiet since Thursday\u2019s announcement of Ch\u00e1vez Jr.\u2019s arrest, in preparation for Friday\u2019s event.<\/p>\n There had already been weigh-in for Friday\u2019s fights and most fighters weren\u2019t around.<\/p>\n At one that was mostly covered outdoor spaces, teenagers tightly wrapped their wrists, bounced and shuffled, shadow boxing in a circle.<\/p>\n Jorge Romero is a former professional boxer who trained under another Ch\u00e1vez brother. Now he\u2019s a trainer at Sinaloa Autonomous University.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n