MEXICO CITY — Boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. was freed on Sunday from a northern Mexico prison, where he had been held since August after being deported from the United States.

The boxer, who is the son of renowned Mexican boxing legend Julio César Chávez, faces charges related to alleged cartel associations and illegal arms trafficking into Mexico.

Chávez was released after a judge in Hermosillo ruled that he didn’t need to be held in custody while awaiting trial. However, he is banned from leaving Mexico. This decision was confirmed by a federal agent who spoke anonymously to The Associated Press, as they were not authorized for public comment. The judge also allotted a three-month window for further case investigation.

Chávez’s lawyer, Rubén Fernando Benítez Alvarez has described the claims against his client as “speculation” and “urban legends.”

Chávez was apprehended in the U.S. in July following a well-publicized fight with American Jake Paul in Los Angeles. Although Mexican officials had issued a warrant for his arrest in 2023, they had not detained him because he primarily resided in the U.S.

The charges against Chávez are part of a larger investigation initiated by Mexican prosecutors in 2019 targeting the Sinaloa Cartel for organized crime, including human trafficking, arms smuggling, and drug dealing, based on a complaint from the United States.