Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr is set to resume his career as he continues to fight for his freedom.
The former WBC 160lbs titlist will return to the ring on January 24 at Arena Potosi in San Luis Potosi. Chavez, 54-7-1 (34 KOs), will face Argentina’s Angel Julian Sacco, 10-1-1 (4 KOs), in a bout that was formally announced on Monday.
The bout will mark the first for Chavez since June 28 unanimous decision defeat to Jake Paul in Anaheim, California. The in-ring setback was a distant second to the horrific aftermath, when the 39-year-old Culiacan, Mexico native was arrested and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in early July.
Chavez was released on August 15 but is due for a court hearing on November 24 on charges of alleged cartel ties and trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives. The boxer has professed his innocence, but in the meantime is prohibited from leaving Mexico and his release came with court-ordered oversight and restrictions.
It’s enough for Chavez to return to the one place that still feels like home, no matter his in-ring struggles in recent years.
He is just 4-5 in his last nine fights spanning eight years, all the way back to his May 2017 shutout defeat to countryman Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in Las Vegas, Nevada. His December 2019 injury-induced stoppage to Daniel Jacobs sparked a post-fight riot at Mortgage Matchup Center (then Talking Stick Resort Arena) in Phoenix, Arizona.
Chavez’s career appeared to bottom out after a June 2021 split decision defeat to middle-aged UFC legend Anderson Silva in Guadalajara, Mexico. Two wins followed before his 10-round defeat to Paul in their cruiserweight contest.
Sacco will fight outside of his native Argentina for the first time in his near seven-year pro career.
The 34-year-old Buenos Aires native steps well up in competition and also has not fought since an October 2023 four-round shutout of overmatched Sergio Mauricio Carabajal in the Chivilcoy section of Buenos Aires, roughly an hour from Sacco’s 25 de Mayo home city.
Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as a senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home. Follow Jake on X and Instagram.
