Andreas HaleJan 25, 2026, 07:59 PM ET
CloseAndreas Hale is a combat sports reporter at ESPN. Andreas covers MMA, boxing and pro wrestling. In Andreas’ free time, he plays video games, obsesses over music and is a White Sox and 49ers fan. He is also a host for Sirius XM’s Fight Nation. Before joining ESPN, Andreas was a senior writer at DAZN and Sporting News. He started his career as a music journalist for outlets including HipHopDX, The Grammys and Jay-Z’s Life+Times. He is also an NAACP Image Award-nominated filmmaker as a producer for the animated short film “Bridges” in 2024.
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was back in action on Saturday and won by knockout after a tumultuous 2025 in which he dropped a one-sided decision to Jake Paul and was deported to Mexico by federal agents in the United States for overstaying his visa and lying on an application to obtain a green card.
Chavez Jr. was wanted in Mexico for alleged ties to a drug cartel.
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The son of Mexican boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez returned to the ring in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, and stopped Argentinian Angel Julian Sacco in the fourth round, helping Chavez Jr. (55-7-1, 35 KOs) get back on track after a humiliating defeat to Paul in Anaheim last June.
The former WBC middleweight champion was arrested by United States Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Los Angeles just days after the loss to Paul and was processed for deportation due to an active arrest warrant from 2023 for alleged ties to the Sinaloa Cartel. He was deported to Mexico in August, jailed in Hermosillo, Sonora, and later released on bail as he awaits trial outside of police custody.
While he was waiting, Chavez Jr. decided to stay active as a boxer and faced Sacco as a light heavyweight at Arena Coliseo. It was his first win in a boxing ring since he defeated former MMA fighter Uriah Hall in 2024.