SEATTLE - In an attempt to reignite his boxing career, Julio César Chávez Jr. has agreed to fight former UFC star Darren Till on July 20 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The fight will be part of a Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions joint-card that will be headlined by the bout between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson.
Julio César Chávez Jr. (53-6-1, 34 KOs) will fight for the first time since December 2021 when he fought David Zegarra in his native Culiacan, Mexico. The former WBC middleweight world champion has spent the last couple of years dealing with personal issues that have taken him out of the boxing picture.
Chávez Jr.'s fight against Till is scheduled for six rounds and will be contested at cruiserweight with a weight limit of 190 pounds. The British fighter will make his professional boxing debut after leaving the world of the mixed martial arts where he had a professional record of 18-5-1.
Since his last fight in 2021, Chávez Jr. has spent time in rehab trying to get rid of his drug addiction. TMZ also reported in November that Chávez Jr. was admitted into a psych ward in the Los Angeles area after he purportedly ingested a dozen pills.
He got in some legal trouble earlier this year, as he spent four nights in jail after being booked on suspicion of two counts of possession of an assault weapon and one count of possession of a short-barreled rifle or shotgun according to records by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
His personal life has derailed his career as a boxer. He held an unbeaten record in his first 49 fights as a pro (47-0-2) until he lost the WBC middleweight title to Sergio Martínez in 2012.
The son of Mexican boxing legend Julio César Chávez has been in a dark place since his loss to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez in 2017 and that's when the off-the-ring problems started to take a toll not only on his career but also his relationship with his father.
In January of 2024, Chávez Jr. posted a series of videos on his social media accounts where he criticized his father's behavior stating that he used to physically abuse him and his mother. "My father tore my mother to pieces, he beat her, he humiliated her, she is traumatized, she can no longer do anything," Chávez Jr. said on the videos.
Despite the complicated times in Chávez Jr.'s life, the former middleweight champion is excited to revamp his career.
"I'm excited to return to the ring after some time off, and I'm motivated and eager to reestablish myself as one of the greats," said Julio César Chávez Jr. "I was the first Mexican middleweight champion in the history of Mexico and want to prove that I can again become a champion. My return to the ring at this historic event is an honor. On Saturday, July 20, I'm going to win by KO and continue my journey."
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