Former boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has been released from jail in northern Mexico as he awaits trial over alleged ties to the Sinaloa Cartel, local media reported Sunday.
The 39-year-old son of legendary boxer Julio Cesar Chavez was granted conditional freedom following a hearing in Hermosillo, Sonora, where Judge Enrique Hernandez Miranda ruled he could face legal proceedings outside detention. His lawyer, Ruben Fernando Benitez, argued prosecutors lacked sufficient evidence to back the charges, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Chavez Jr. was deported from the United States in July after being detained by U.S. immigration authorities shortly after his high-profile defeat to influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul. Mexican prosecutors accuse him of acting as a henchman for the Sinaloa Cartel, which Washington recently designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
His family and defense team have denied the allegations, insisting there is “no evidence” linking him to organized crime. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum previously confirmed Chavez Jr. is expected to face charges of arms trafficking and organized crime.
