LOS ANGELES — Famed Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. has been arrested for overstaying his visa and lying on a green card application and will be deported to Mexico, where he faces organized crime charges, U.S. federal officials said Thursday.

The arrest comes only days after the former middleweight champion lost a match against influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Anaheim. The Department of Homeland Security said officials determined Chávez should be arrested on June 27, a day before the fight. It was unclear why they waited to act for days after the high-profile event.

The 39-year-old boxer was picked up Wednesday by a large number of federal agents while he was riding a scooter in front of his home in Studio City, according to Chávez’s attorney Michael Goldstein.

“The current allegations are outrageous and simply another headline to terrorize the community,” Goldstein said.

Many people across Southern California are on edge as immigration arrests have ramped up, prompting protests and the federal deployment of National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to downtown Los Angeles.

Goldstein did not know where Chávez was being detained as of Thursday morning, but said he and his client were due in court Monday related to gun possession charges from last year and were to provide an update on his progress in a substance abuse program.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained Chávez for overstaying a tourist visa that expired in February 2024 after he entered the country in August 2023, the Department of Homeland Security said.

Chávez also submitted multiple fraudulent statements while applying for a green card on April, 2, 2024, based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen, Frida Muñoz, the agency said. Her previous partner was Édgar Guzmán López, the now-deceased son of imprisoned Sinaloa cartel kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services flagged ICE about Chávez on Dec. 17, saying he “is an egregious public safety threat,” and yet he was allowed back into the country without a visa on Jan. 4 under the Biden administration, the agency said.

U.S. officials said he has an active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives and is believed to be an affiliate of the Sinaloa Cartel.