Boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. to stand trial in Mexico over alleged cartel ties

HERMOSILLO, Mexico (AP) — A judge in Mexico said boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. will stand trial over alleged cartel ties and arms trafficking but could await that trial outside of detention, the boxer's lawyer said.

Chávez's lawyer, Rubén Fernando Benítez Alvarez, confirmed that the court imposed additional measures and granted three months of further investigation into the case. He described the claims against his client as “speculation” and “urban legends" following the court hearing on Saturday in the northern Mexican city of Hermosillo.

If convicted, Chávez — who took part in the hearing virtually from a detention facility — could face a prison sentence of between four and eight years, Alvarez said.

Chávez, 39, who had been living in the United States for several years, was arrested in early July by federal agents outside his Los Angeles home for overstaying his visa and providing inaccurate details on an application to obtain a green card. The arrest came just days after a fight he had with famed American boxer Jake Paul in Los Angeles.

Since 2019, Mexican prosecutors have been investigating the boxer following a complaint filed by U.S. authorities against the Sinaloa Cartel for organized crime, human trafficking, arms trafficking and drug trafficking.

The case led to investigations against 13 people, among them Ovidio Guzmán López — the son of convicted drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán — along with some collaborators, hitmen and accomplices of the criminal organization. Guzmán López was arrested in January 2023 and extradited to the U.S. eight months later.

Following the inquiry, the Federal Attorney General's Office issued several arrest warrants, including one against Chávez.

Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum said Chávez was wanted since 2023 in Mexico, but that he wasn’t detained because he spent most of the time in the U.S.

“The hope is that he will be deported and serve the sentence in Mexico,” Sheinbaum said in July.

The boxer, who is the son of Mexican boxing great Julio César Chávez, was deported by the U.S. on Aug. 19 and handed over to agents of the Federal Attorney General’s Office in Sonora state, who transferred him to the Federal Social Reintegration Center in Hermosillo.

The high profile case come as the Trump administration is pressuring Mexico to crack down on organized crime, canceling visas of notable Mexican artists and celebrities and ramping up deportations.

Chávez has struggled with drug addiction throughout his career and has been arrested multiple times. In 2012, he was found guilty of driving under the influence in Los Angeles and was sentenced to 13 days in jail.

He was arrested last year for weapons possession. Police reported that Chávez had two rifles. He was released shortly afterward upon posting $50,000 bail, on the condition that he attend a facility to receive treatment for his addiction.

Alejandra Payan, left, and Ruben Benitez, right, lawyers for boxer Julio César Chávez Jr., speak to the press after the hearing to determine his legal status in Hermosillo, Mexico, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Abraham Tellez)

A police officer guards the entrance to the courthouse in Hermosillo, Mexico, where boxer Julio César Chávez Jr.'s hearing takes place on Saturday, 23rd August 2025. (AP Photo/Abraham Tellez)

FILE - Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. arrives for his cruiserweight boxing match against Jake Paul, in Anaheim, Calif., June 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent, File)

MADRID (AP) — A high-speed train derailed, jumped onto the track in the opposite direction and slammed into an oncoming train Sunday in southern Spain, killing at least 20 people and injuring dozens more, officials said.

The evening train between Malaga and Madrid went off the rails near Córdoba and slammed into a train coming from Madrid to Huelva, another southern Spanish city, according to rail operator Adif. The two trains were carrying around 500 passengers, according to media reports.

Antonio Sanz, regional health minister for the Andalusia region where the crash happened, said officials told him that there are over 20 dead and they fear the death toll may rise further.

Rescue operations are ongoing, he said, adding that 73 injured passengers have been taken to six different hospitals.

He said at least one passenger carriage had rolled down a four-meter (13-foot) slope.

Francisco Carmona, the firefighter chief of Cordoba, told Spanish national radio RNE that one of the trains was badly mangled, with at least four wagons off the rails.

The situation at the crash site “is very serious,” Sanz said. “We have a very difficult night ahead.”

The regional Civil Protection chief, María Belén Moya Rojas, told Canal Sur the accident happened in an area that is hard to reach.

Local people were taking blankets and water to the scene to help the victims, she said.

High-speed trains, running on an extensive national network, are a popular way to travel in Spain.

Spain’s military emergency relief units joined the deployment of other rescue units. The Red Cross also provided support to healthcare officials.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a post on X that she was following “the terrible news” from Cordoba.

“Tonight you are in my thoughts,” she wrote in Spanish.

ADIF said train services between Madrid and cities in Andalucia would not run Monday.

Wilson contributed to this report from Barcelona, Spain.

Passengers wait in the hall of Madrid train station on Sunday, January 18, 2026, following the announcement of the suspension of service due to an accident in which two trains derailed in Cordoba. ( Carlos Luján/Europa Press via AP)