Latest news with #Chávez
Los Angeles Times
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Julio César Chávez Jr. and Jake Paul insist their bout is not staged, with much on the line
While Julio César Chávez Jr.'s name and lineage evoke history, discipline and glory, Jake Paul's name is linked to a modern phenomenon that has challenged the traditional codes of boxing. Paul's arrival in the boxing spotlight was not by conventional means and although his bout with Chávez may appear to be a marketing spectacle, both fighters could benefit from a win. At age 39 with 61 professional fights (54-6-1, 34 KOs), Chávez returns to the to the Honda Center in Anaheim Saturday to face Paul, offering pre-fight speeches that mix confidence, maturity and a sense of duty. Away from the show, the Mexican says he focused on serious and deep preparation. 'We are preparing to the fullest, thoroughly, to arrive better than ever physically, well-focused. We have to be 100% for the fight,' Chávez told L.A. Times en Español, making it clear that this is not just another adventure, but a fight that could open up more opportunities. The son of Mexican boxing legend Julio César Chávez Sr., he knows that many see him as the last stepping stone to catapult Paul into boxing legitimacy, but he doesn't share that view. 'He's not going to beat me. I'm a better boxer than him,' Julio César Chávez Jr. said. The endorsement he received from Mexican boxing star Saúl 'Canelo' Álvarez was interpreted as a vote of confidence in his ability. 'It's important to listen to him,' Chávez said. 'I think Canelo knows I'm the better boxer than Jake Paul. ... We're going to hit him hard.' Paul said if he defeats Chávez, it will close the door on the Mexican fighter's comeback after a stint in rehab. 'He's going to retire,' Paul said. He dismissed Álvarez's endorsement of his opponent. 'It's definitely a sign of respect from Canelo, but he showed me the utmost respect by turning down $100 million not to fight me,' Paul said, alluding to a potential fight against Álvarez that was being negotiated as recently as May before the Mexican star chose another opponent. 'He knows it's not an easy fight.' With a dozen fights under his belt, Paul (11-1, 7 KOs) has been consistently criticized for facing weaker opponents, with the latest one raising strong suspicions that opponents accept limitations that favor Paul. In November 2024, Paul faced aging legend Mike Tyson, whom he defeated by unanimous decision. Critics on social media immediately took issue with both fighters. There were moments it appeared Tyson could have finished Paul, but then seemed to back off and avoid throwing crucial punches. Chávez made it clear that this fight is not part of a setup nor does it have an agreed script. 'I don't lend myself to that kind of thing,' Chávez said. 'The fight is normal and that's all I can tell you.' For the Mexican fighter, this bout represents something more than a purse or a chance to gain viral fame. 'It's like an activation,' he said. 'There is the opportunity to fight for the world championship, even a rematch with Canelo.' And while some have suggested that a Chávez loss would mean the end of his career, he dismisses that emphatically, 'It hasn't crossed my mind, I'm not going to lose,' he said. 'I'm thinking about winning and having a few fights after that.' Paul, for his part, has made controversy a promotional tool, but he has also sought, in his words, to make it clear that his ambition is serious. In response to rumors potential opponents canceled before the fight with Chávez was finalized, Paul explained that 'a cowardly Mexican was afraid to fight me. ... Another great boxer did not deliver. We talked to [influencer and boxer] KSI, Tommy Fury... That led us to Chávez and to keep on the path of facing real opponents, former world champions and remain active on my way to becoming world champion.' Paul, as is his custom, did not miss the opportunity to psychologically attack his rival. This time, he pointed to the symbolic weight of the Chávez surname. 'It's added pressure for Chávez Jr., he doesn't handle pressure well,' Paul said. '... His dad wants this for his son, more than his son wants it. That can create a lot of problems and insecurities that I'm going to expose.' Paul defends his history as a self-taught boxer who came to change the rules of the game. 'I never wanted the respect. It's about proving myself, creating one of the best sports stories to inspire the next generation,' he said. 'Without me, boxing would be dead.' For Paul, the bout is another step in his attempt to silence the purists and reassert himself as more than a YouTube celebrity with gloves. For Chávez, it represents a chance to reclaim his lost place, to prove that his lineage is not just a family name but legitimate talent. 'I'm not worried, I'm preparing to win ... I grabbed the fight because I'm going to win it,' Chávez insisted, downplaying any risks. In the face of the doubts surrounding the showdowns, both fighters assured fans will see a real fight on Saturday. 'At the end of the day, above the ring, we are all the same,' Chávez said. Paul is not worried about what people think of him. 'I don't pay attention to what the boxing world says,' he said. 'Naturally, this world loves to shoot themselves in the foot and wants to keep criticizing me, but what we've realized is that they obviously have no power, no control, no weight because I'm still involved in the biggest events.' This article first appeared in Spanish via L.A. Times en Español.
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jake Paul vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. predictions, odds, picks: Can Jake Paul beat a real boxer?
Saturday's DAZN pay-per-view show in Anaheim, California, has a little bit of everything. Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez defends his unified cruiserweight title against the "KO Doctor," Yuniel Dorticos, Floyd Schofield steps up to face Tevin Farmer, rising contenders and prospects take center stage, and above it all is Jake Paul's hyped showdown with the former world champion, Julio César Chavez Jr. Advertisement A 10-fight card that consists of some of the top boxers of the past, the present, and the future — it should be an entertaining night of fights. Betting odds courtesy of BetMGM. Cruiserweight: Jake Paul (-700) vs. Julio César Chávez Jr. (+475) When Paul steps into the ring with Chávez Jr., he will face his first real former boxing world champion. Yes, I know that Paul has a win over the 58-year-old Mike Tyson, who had to end a 20-year retirement to face Paul — but obviously we're not counting that. Chávez Jr. is an active boxer with experience at the top level of the sport in the past decade. That should make it a real test for Paul, but the bookmakers don't seem to agree. Paul is a lopsided favorite against the Mexican, whose surname is steeped in boxing history; bizarrely, he's an even bigger favorite against Chávez than he was against Tyson. Advertisement Chávez held the WBC middleweight championship over a decade ago in a title reign that included a win over the great Irishman Andy Lee. The Mexican rallied in a final-round thriller against the legendary Sergio Martinez in a fight where he ultimately lost his belt. Following that, Chávez shared the ring with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez in 2017 and Daniel Jacobs in 2019 but fell short comfortably both times, even quitting against Jacobs. If Paul vs. Chávez had been made anytime before 2020, it would've been considered a brutal mismatch. The question here really is, has Chávez Jr. regressed that much to lose to a boxer who still displays novice tendencies? Advertisement Two more key factors in play here are activity and size. Chavez Jr. has fought just once in more than three years, while Paul has registered seven fights in the same time period. Paul will have to drop almost 30 pounds for this fight against Chavez at the 200-pound cruiserweight limit, but Chavez's best days were forty pounds lower at the 160-pound limit. Paul and Chávez share a common foe: Anderson Silva. Paul defeated Silva by unanimous decision in 2022, while Chávez fell short to Silva the year before. Silva, however, has predicted that Chávez will prevail over Paul. It is clear, to Silva at least, that the Chávez who fought him was unmotivated and, at the time, undedicated. But with Chávez now claiming to be 20 months alcohol-free and ready to make another run at the top level of the sport, should we expect a focused and disciplined version of the 39-year-old? If Chávez is anywhere near his peak years, he should win comfortably against Paul. Whether he can roll back the years for one more performance at even 50% of his peak powers is really the decider here. Advertisement Pick: Chávez Jr. Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez (L) defends his cruiserweight titles against Yuniel Dorticos. (Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy via Getty Images) Cruiserweight: Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez (-1000) vs. Yuniel Dorticos (+650) "Zurdo" Ramirez defends his WBA and WBO unified cruiserweight championship against the former two-time cruiserweight champion, Yuniel Dorticos. Ramirez won the WBA title in March 2024 with a wide unanimous decision win over Arsen Goulamirian and unified with WBO champion Chris Billam-Smith this past November, beating him comfortably as well. A former super middleweight world champion, Ramirez's journey at cruiserweight has gone as well as he could've possibly hoped. Ramirez's chin has carried through the weights. Combine that with his fast hands, combination punching, close-range attacks, and body shots — and he's a real problem at cruiserweight. Advertisement Dorticos was a firm player in the cruiserweight mix in the late 2010s, but he has done little since his majority decision loss to Mairis Briedis in 2020. Fighting just three times in five years and now 39 years old, this fight certainly hasn't come at an ideal time for Cuba's Dorticos. The adage is that the last thing to go is a fighter's power. With 25 KOs in 27 wins, the "KO Doctor" will be hoping that rings true on Saturday against Ramirez, but Ramirez's punch resistance across multiple weight divisions has proved to be as sturdy as they come. I expect Ramirez to be too fresh and active for Dorticos and become the second man to stop him. Pick: Ramirez Floyd Schofield (left) and Tevin Farmer take the stage ahead of their fight at the Honda Center. (Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy via Getty Images) Lightweight: Floyd Schofield (-192) vs. Tevin Farmer (+163) Tevin Farmer is 0-3 in the past year — but the record doesn't tell the full story. Not even close. Advertisement Farmer, who held the IBF super featherweight title from 2018 to 2020, returned from obscurity this past July to face the now IBF lightweight champion Raymond Muratalla. Although Farmer fell narrowly short on that occasion, he reminded fans why he was still very much in the mix at 135 pounds. Off the back of the performance, Farmer landed a shot at the WBC interim lightweight title. He was beaten again on the scorecards, but by putting Zepeda on the canvas and running him to a close split decision, Farmer, in many people's eyes, exposed Zepeda's vulnerabilities. Zepeda and Farmer ran it back this past March, and despite Farmer suffering from injuries to his left arm and elbow, he delivered another strong showing, rallying in the final round as well. Schofield was dominant through nine rounds against Rene Tellez Giron this past November but unwisely chose to trade with Mexico's Giron in the championship rounds. Schofield was wildly open to counters in exchanges, and ultimately, he had to rise off the floor to win a wide unanimous decision. They say there's a fine line between confidence and arrogance. Schofield was bossing the action against Giron with his boxing skills, but he wanted to prove that he could win anyway he wanted, and he almost paid the price for it. Schofield radiates as much confidence when he fights as he does when he talks. But overconfidence can lead to overlooking a fighter, and that could be the downfall for "Kid Austin" on Saturday. Advertisement As Zepeda and Muratalla found out, Farmer, even at 34, is still a tricky operator with enough left in the tank to give top contenders an acid test — and it could be a test too early for the 22-year-old Schofield. Pick: Farmer Welterweight: Raul Curiel (-1400) vs. Victor Ezequiel Rodriguez (+850) 147-pound contender Raul Curiel, a 2016 Olympian for Mexico, fights for the first time since a majority decision draw in a Fight of the Year contender with Alexis Rocha this past December. Curiel battles the unheralded Uruguayan Victor Ezequiel Rodriguez. Rodriguez has visible power with his right hand — and he will certainly let it go enough times, as he showed in his third-round TKO win over Alberto Mosquera. Curiel is a more complete fighter, though, and will have a big target in front of him that seems easy to hit when he faces Rodriguez on Saturday. Rodriguez should have little more than a puncher's chance. Advertisement Pick: Curiel Welterweight: Avious Griffin (-1000) vs. Julian Rodriguez (+650) Welterweight prospect Avious Griffin will make his debut for Most Valuable Promotions against the former Top Rank fighter Julian Rodriguez. Rodriguez was upset by Jose Pedraza in 2021 after he was forced to retire on his stool at the conclusion of round 8 due to an injury that made seeing out of his left eye impossible. Rodriguez has fought just twice since then, winning decisions against overmatched opponents. Griffin has 16 KOs in his 17 wins. Very much a work in progress, he has been developed gradually on the club show scene, even picking up his first regional title in February, stopping Jose Luis Sanchez in eight rounds. Advertisement Rodriguez is a step up for Griffin, who is coached by the training team led by Brian "BoMac" McIntyre, but Griffin's dynamite fists should see him through to the finish line. Rodriguez is certainly a live dog in this matchup, though. Pick: Griffin Quick Picks:
CBS News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Ex-Venezuela spy chief "El Pollo" pleads guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges including narco-terrorism
Miami — A former Venezuelan spymaster who was close to the country's late President Hugo Chávez pleaded guilty Wednesday to drug trafficking charges a week before his trial was set to begin in a Manhattan federal court. Retired Maj. Gen. Hugo Carvajal was extradited from Spain in 2023 after more than a decade on the run from U.S. law enforcement, including a botched arrest in Aruba while he was serving as a diplomat representing current Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's government. Carvajal pleaded guilty in court to all four criminal counts, including narco-terrorism, in an indictment accusing him of leading a cartel made up of senior Venezuelan military officers that attempted to "flood" the U.S. with cocaine in cahoots with leftist guerrillas from neighboring Colombia. In a letter this week to defense counsel, prosecutors said they believe federal sentencing guidelines call for the 65-year-old Carvajal to serve a mandatory minimum of 50 years in prison. Nicknamed "El Pollo," Spanish for "the chicken," Carvajal advised Chávez for more than a decade. He later broke with Maduro, Chávez's handpicked successor, and threw his support behind the U.S.-backed political opposition - in dramatic fashion. In a recording made from an undisclosed location, Carvajal called on his former military cohorts to rebel a month into mass protests seeking to replace Maduro with lawmaker Juan Guaidó, whom the first Trump administration recognized as Venezuela's legitimate leader as head of the democratically elected National Assembly. The hoped-for barracks revolt never materialized, and Carvajal fled to Spain. In 2021, he was captured hiding out in a Madrid apartment after he defied a Spanish extradition order and disappeared. Carvajal's straight-up guilty plea, without any promise of leniency, could be part of a gamble to win credit down the line for cooperating with U.S. efforts against a top foreign adversary that sits atop the world's largest petroleum reserves. Although Carvajal has been out of power for years, his backers say he can provide potentially valuable insights on the inner workings of the spread of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua into the U.S. and spying activities of the Maduro-allied governments of Cuba, Russia, China and Iran. He may also be angling for Trump's attention with information about voting technology company Smartmatic. One of Carvajal's deputies was a major player in Venezuela's electoral authority when the company was getting off the ground. Former Venezuelan military spy chief, retired Maj. Gen. Hugo Carvajal, walks out of prison in Estremera on the outskirts of Madrid on Sept. 15, 2019. Manu Fernandez / AP Florida-based Smartmatic says its global business was decimated when Fox News aired false claims by Trump allies that it helped rig the 2020 U.S. election. One of the company's Venezuelan founders was later charged in the U.S. in a bribery case involving its work in the Philippines. Gary Berntsen, a former CIA officer in Latin America who oversaw commandos that hunted al-Qaeda, sent a public letter this week to Mr. Trump urging the Justice Department to delay the start of Carvajal's trial so officials could debrief the former spymaster. "He's no angel, he's a very bad man," Berntsen said in an interview. "But we need to defend democracy." Carvajal's attorney, Robert Feitel, said prosecutors announced in court this month that they never extended a plea offer to his client or sought to meet with him. "I think that was an enormous mistake," Feitel told The Associated Press while declining further comment. "He has information that is extraordinarily important to our national security and law enforcement." In 2011, prosecutors alleged that Carvajal used his office to coordinate the smuggling of approximately 5,600 kilograms (12,300 pounds) of cocaine aboard a jet from Venezuela to Mexico in 2006. In exchange, he accepted millions of dollars from drug traffickers, prosecutors said. He allegedly arranged the shipment as one of the leaders of the so-called Cartel of the Suns - a nod to the sun insignias affixed to the uniforms of senior Venezuelan military officers. The cocaine was sourced by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, which the U.S. has designated as a terrorist organization and which for years took refuge in Venezuela as it sought to overthrow Colombia's government. Carvajal "exploited his position as the director of Venezuela's military intelligence and abandoned his responsibility to the people of Venezuela in order to intentionally cause harm to the United States," DEA Acting Administrator Robert Murphy said. "After years of trying to evade law enforcement, (he) will now likely spend the rest of his life in federal prison."
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Former Venezuela spymaster pleads guilty to narcoterrorism charge ahead of trial
MIAMI (AP) — A former Venezuelan spymaster who was close to the country's late President Hugo Chávez pleaded guilty Wednesday to drug trafficking charges a week before his trial was set to begin in a Manhattan federal court. Retired Maj. Gen. Hugo Carvajal was extradited from Spain in 2023 after more than a decade on the run from U.S. law enforcement, including included a botched arrest in Aruba while he was serving as a diplomat representing current Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's government. Carvajal pleaded guilty in court to all four criminal counts, including narco-terrorism, in an indictment accusing him of leading a cartel made up of senior Venezuelan military officers that attempted to 'flood' the U.S. with cocaine in cahoots with leftist guerrillas from neighboring Colombia. In a letter this week to defense counsel, prosecutors said they believe federal sentencing guidelines call for Carvajal to serve a mandatory minimum of 50 years in prison to a maximum of life. Nicknamed 'El Pollo,' Spanish for 'the chicken,' Carvajal advised Chávez for more than a decade. He later broke with Marudo, Chávez's handpicked successor, and threw his support behind the U.S.-backed political opposition — in dramatic fashion. In a recording made from an undisclosed location, Carvajal called on his former military cohorts to rebel against a month into mass protests seeking to replace Maduro with lawmaker Juan Guaidó, whom the first Trump administration recognized as Venezuela's legitimate leader as head of the democratically elected National Assembly. The hoped-for barracks revolt never materialized, and Carvajal fled to Spain. In 2021 he was captured hiding out in a Madrid apartment after he defied a Spanish extradition order and disappeared. Although Carvajal has been out of power for years, his backers say he can provide potentially valuable insights on the inner workings of the spread of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua into the U.S. and spying activities of the Maduro-allied governments of Cuba, Russia, China and Iran. Gary Berntsen, a former CIA officer in Latin America who oversaw commandos that hunted al-Qaida, sent a public letter this week to Trump urging the Justice Department to delay the start of Carvajal's trial so officials can debrief the former spymaster. 'He's no angel, he's a very bad man,' Berntsen said in an interview. 'But we need to defend democracy.' Carvajal's attorney, Robert Feitel, said prosecutors announced in court this month that they never extended a plea offer to his client or sought to meet with him. 'I think that was an enormous mistake,' Feitel told The Associated Press while declining further comment. 'He has information that is extraordinarily important to our national security and law enforcement.' In 2011, prosecutors alleged that Carvajal used his office to coordinate the smuggling of approximately 5,600 kilograms (12,300 pounds) of cocaine aboard a jet from Venezuela to Mexico in 2006. He allegedly arranged the shipment as one of the leaders of the so-called Cartel of the Suns — a nod to the sun insignias affixed to the uniforms of senior Venezuelan military officers. ___ Associated Press writer Larry Neumeister in New York contributed.
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Colombian convicted in U.S. claims Venezuelan generals helped run drug empire
Alvaro Fredy Córdoba Ruiz, the brother of the late Colombian politician Piedad Córdoba who is currently serving a 14-year sentence in the U.S. for drug trafficking, has offered a startling account of a continent-spanning cocaine operation allegedly run by senior Venezuelan military officials. In a letter filed on May 2025 with the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Córdoba asked a federal judge to reduce his sentence to five years, citing what he describes as a minor role in a far-reaching narcotics scheme. His request, however, does more than seek leniency—it alleges the involvement of high-ranking Venezuelan officials in what U.S. prosecutors have long called the 'Cartel of the Suns,' a term referring to the gold insignia worn by Venezuelan generals. 'For several decades, the defunct president of the South American country, Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías, grouped into an organization that exports illicit drugs high-ranking generals of the Venezuelan military,' Córdoba wrote in the letter to District Judge Lewis J. Liman. According to Córdoba, the network — allegedly put together under Chávez's leadership — connected top military officials with Colombia's now-demobilized FARC rebels, including former commander Rodrigo Londoño Echeverri. In a striking admission, Córdoba also claimed the operation 'involved my beloved, departed sister Piedad Córdoba Ruiz,' a former Colombian senator long accused by authorities of ties to armed groups, though never convicted. Córdoba portrays himself as a peripheral figure ensnared by association. 'I am nothing more than a minor, defenseless and harmless actor in this complex criminal network,' he wrote, describing his role as little more than a 'secretary, messenger, and clerk' to his sister. The 'Cartel of the Suns' has been at the center of U.S. anti-narcotics investigations for over a decade. American prosecutors and intelligence assessments describe it not as a traditional cartel but as an informal alliance of Venezuelan military officials and politicians using state resources—airfields, diplomatic channels and naval facilities—to facilitate large-scale cocaine trafficking. Much of the cocaine is sourced from Colombia and shipped through Venezuela toward the Caribbean, Central America and Europe. In 2020, the U.S. Justice Department indicted President Nicolás Maduro — Chávez's successor —and more than a dozen other Venezuelan officials, calling the country's leadership a 'narco-terrorist enterprise.' The indictment alleged that Chávez created the cartel to 'flood the United States with cocaine,' generating billions in illicit profits. Last year, the U.S. government increased the rewards for the capture of the Venezuelan strongman and his number two, Diosdado Cabello, to $25 million each. Both are believed to be the current leaders of the cartel. The U.S. government also issued a $15 million reward for the capture of Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez. All three regime officials face drug-trafficking charges in U.S. courts; the rewards on Maduro and Cabello are the maximum authorized in the United States for crimes linked to drug trafficking. Córdoba's case is linked to a failed cocaine deal involving alleged operatives from a Colombian-Venezuelan trafficking cell. According to prosecutors, the 2022 meeting that led to his arrest included individuals identified as 'Comandante Martín,' 'Héctor,' and Libia Amanda Palacio Mejía—whom Córdoba claims were the operation's actual organizers. He was extradited later that year and sentenced in 2024. Córdoba contends that his lengthy sentence reflects the political weight of his family name, rather than the scope of his actions. His sister, Piedad, who died suddenly in January 2024, was a prominent figure in Colombian politics and a polarizing intermediary in negotiations with the FARC. Though never formally charged with criminal activity, she was scrutinized by U.S. and Colombian authorities for her alleged links to insurgent groups and leftist governments across the region. While Chávez consistently denied involvement in drug trafficking, his administration fostered ties with guerrilla organizations and was accused of shielding FARC leaders and cocaine shipments. One of the most prominent figures implicated in U.S. investigations, former Venezuelan Gen. Clíver Alcalá Cordones, surrendered to U.S. authorities in 2020 and reportedly became a cooperating witness. Córdoba's letter concludes with a plea to return to Colombia, where he says he hopes to care for his ailing partner and begin again. 'I have already served three years,' he wrote. 'It would be fair, adequate and appropriate to return to my country, return to my home and support my family.'
