Jake Paul's apparent emoji response to opponent's ICE arrest was so gross

USA Today

9 hours ago

Either Jake Paul randomly decided to post an emoji of an American flag shortly after the Department of Homeland Security announced Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained his most recent opponent, or Paul chose the worst possible time to begin celebrating the Fourth of July early.
The result is still the same, regardless. It's an awful look — for boxing, for Paul's aspirations in the sport and for his ability to negotiate future bouts.
On Wednesday, DHS announced ICE detained Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles where he resides and is preparing for an "expedited" deportation process. The DHS press release purports Chavez Jr., 39, is wanted in Mexico on charges related to organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition and explosives.
Yet the press release also noted Chavez Jr. "was determined to be in the country illegally and removable on June 27, 2025" — one day before he faced Paul at the Honda Center in Anaheim.
The fight went on as scheduled with Paul earning at least $300,000 from the purse, but MMA Junkie noted that amount doesn't include pay-per-view cuts, gate cuts and discretionary bonuses that may have been paid by the promotions. Paul promoted the fight under his Most Valuable Promotions banner. It's easy to assume his true profits are much greater than the reported purse.
Of course, none of those riches would've been possible without Chavez Jr., who Paul defeated by unanimous decision after 10 rounds of the night's main event. There are some very obvious questions about the timing of the ICE detention coming after the fight when DHS determined he should be deported before the bout.
Which is to say Paul seemingly mocking the misfortune of his most recent opponent, when that opponent padded his bank account quite handsomely is just gross. Paul, a fervent supporter of Donald Trump, has always leaned into the villain role, but something about this feels particularly out of pocket, especially given Chavez Jr.'s recent comments about the fear spreading in Los Angeles due to ICE raids.
Per USA Today:
Chávez trained in Los Angeles before the fight against Paul and addressed the immigration raids that triggered protests in the city's downtown.
"It even scared me, to tell you the truth, it is very ugly,' he told the Los Angeles Times for a story published June 23. 'I don't understand the situation, why so much violence. There are many good people and you are setting an example of violence to the community.'
He also addressed federal agents wearing masks and not identifying themselves while targeting workers who appeared to be immigrants, according to the Los Angeles Times.
'Seeing children left alone because their parents are grabbed,'' Chávez said. '... That is common sense, we are people and we are going to feel bad when we see that situation.''
In the meantime, Paul is now angling for his next fight. Shortly after sharing his emoji post, Paul sent another tweet stating "Canelo is next". The middleweight champion just also happens to be from Mexico, which had plenty of Paul fans taking the comment to mean Canelo is next to be detained by ICE.
Neither interpretation is likely to give Canelo any more incentive to fight Paul — not that Canelo had any incentive to face Paul as is. There are plenty of other legitimate contenders far more deserving of a title shot.