The Two Julios: Two potential legends, two “culichis,” and both embroiled in scandals that destroyed their careers

Report Issue

Please complete the required fields.

Your Name

Email

Reason (required)
This post contains broken linksPost has incorrect informationPost has spamCopyright IssueOther

Description

Submit

It’s no surprise that in the history of Mexican sports, we find countless athletes who became legends not only for their athletic achievements but also for their behavior outside the sporting arena.

Perhaps the best-known case is that of Julio César Chávez — a boxer without limits who became a world hero, and whose athletic ability allowed him to survive the drug and alcohol abuse he experienced throughout his career.

Others were also legendary: soccer player Rafael Márquez, who was accused of laundering drug money; Esteban Loaiza, the Mexican baseball player who later turned to smuggling large quantities of drugs in his car; and many other athletes.

These cases have come back into focus due to the extradition and imprisonment of the son of the “Caesar of Boxing,” Julio César Chávez Jr., accused of drug cartel-related crimes and imprisoned yesterday in a prison in Sonora, Mexico.

Chávez Jr. always faced pressure from carrying his family name; everyone wanted to see him reach the same heights as his father. Initially, the young Chávez Jr. showed potential, but soon after winning a world championship, he fell prey to rebellion and drug addiction.

He struggled on several occasions to recover, but his close ties to drug traffickers — including his marriage to the ex-wife of one of “El Chapo” Guzmán’s sons — distanced him from a promising sports career and plunged him into a world whose full extent we still don’t know.

Just when it seemed he was finally triumphing in his deadly battle against addiction — after checking into his father’s clinic and losing a multimillion-dollar fight with Jake Paul — he was arrested by U.S. authorities. Countless media stories emerged, speculating that Chávez Jr. was not only a friend of drug traffickers, but that he also performed specific tasks for them. His family denies this, and now they will have to prove it in court.

The other Culiacán-born athlete, also named Julio César, was pitcher Julio César Urías. While not known for an exemplary personality, he possessed unparalleled skill with his left arm.

He found success with the Los Angeles Dodgers and was projected to become a franchise icon for the next decade. However, just as his career was taking off, two incidents ended his time at the top of the sports world.
It wasn’t drugs, nor was it Culiacán. Two violent incidents against his wife led to his imprisonment and an indefinite suspension from Major League Baseball.

Now, both are fighting to hold on and avoid falling further than they already have.
There’s always room for redemption. They still have much they can share with Mexican youth — perhaps not in the ring or on the mound, but certainly through their stories.