Jake Paul suggests ‘Canelo (Alvarez) is next’ after ICE arrests, deports opponent Julio César Chávez Jr.

The Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained prominent Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. Chavez is being processed for expedited removal from the United States just days after his unanimous decision defeat to Jake Paul at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

The DHS is alleging that Chávez entered the U.S. illegally and is an affiliate of the Sinaloa Cartel. After news broke of Chávez’s impending deportation, Paul wrote the following on X: “Canelo [Alvarez] is next.”

Alvarez, the WBC, WBA and WBO super middleweight champion, has been linked to a man under investigation for allegedly laundering money for the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), per Héctor Ríos Morales of the Latin Times. The man under investigation was reportedly Alvarez’s former business partner.

Right now, it’s unclear if this is what Paul was alluding to. He could have simply been calling out Alvarez, whom he nearly clashed against on Cinco de Mayo weekend. Paul said on the “The Ariel Helwani Show” in May that the fight was on the “1-yard line” to be signed and sealed in February. Riyadh Season and Turki Alalshikh then signed Alvarez to a four-fight deal, putting an end to fight negotiations.

Jake Paul reveals why fight negotiations with Canelo Alvarez broke down

“We were on the 1-yard line, and we [threw] a pick-6,” Paul said, via Drake Riggs of Uncrowned. “The interception going the other way, man. In the fourth quarter, game-winner, we just got intercepted. But I understand it. Basically, they threatened to pull Canelo’s $300 million contract if he were to fight me. That’s how bad they want me out of boxing. They can’t stand that I’m the one doing the biggest events, so they threatened to pull his $300 million contract.

“He was gonna fight me. So, I understand where Canelo was coming from and wanting to secure that bread for his family.”

Alvarez, 34, had the first of four matches on his deal with Riyadh Season against William Scull on May 3. He won by unanimous decision, improving to 63-2-2 for his career. Paul, 28, is 12-1, currently riding a six-fight win streak.