Daily Texan Staff
Jesus Chavez is a humble man.
That is hard to believe when you watch him in the ring triumphantly taunting and pummeling his opponents. Yet outside the ring he comes across as a quiet man who knows the value of respect and hope.
When Jesus was 17 years old, he helped a friend rob a grocery store in Chicago. A week later, both were arrested and sent to two of the toughest maximum security prisons in Illinois. Jesus was released after three-and-a-half years in prison. He wanted to escape the gangs in Chicago, and so his father brought him to Austin. Chavez started training again at R. Lord's Gym on North Lamar.
"El Matador," as he was nicknamed, soon signed a pro contract and began dominating his opponents. In a few years, he won the featherweight and super featherweight belts. Then, the INS caught up with Chavez. In 1996, Congress passed two laws which required immigrants who committed a crime to be immediately deported. Jesus Chavez had not been to Mexico since he was 10 years old and now he was being forced to live there. The lightweight belt had been taken from his grasp, a career had been derailed and a family torn apart.
Jesus' struggle is the subject of Austin native Marcy Garriott's intriguing documentary, Split Decision. The story came to Garriott's attention while she was working for AT&T. Garriott says "it was really just a lightbulb. This is it! This story needs to be told."
The story is getting a lot of attention, but Garriott thinks it is deserved.
"This is a very interesting and multilayered story having to do with immigration laws and second chances, having to do with someone who made a second home here and got a lot of support from people in Austin," Garriott said.
Last week Jesus "El Matador" Chavez was given his green card. Jesus is now a full citizen of the United States. This process took years and was very tiring. As Garriott says, "it is extremely complicated and, in a way, a little frustrating because even though his case has been succesfully decided, it is because of a lot of unique factors. There are a lot of people affected by these 1996 laws that will not be able to do this."
Chavez is currently in Mexico training for his next fight on Feb. 23 at the Frank Erwin Center.
Daily Texan: First of all, congratulations on your green card.
Jesus Chavez: Thanks a lot.
DT: It must feel good.
JC: Yeah, it's actually more of a big relief. I mean, knowing your whole life is in the United States. I have a good trainer there and my career. But I will be coming back to Mexico more often. I found my Mexican roots.
DT: Must be kind of bittersweet.
JC: Yeah, it's great though.
DT: What's next?
JC: I'm coming back next Monday or Tuesday for some publicity. I'm looking forward to it. I feel like it is going to be a good starting point for my comeback.
DT: To what extent do you think the movie is responsible for your green card?
JC: It has been very influential. It's funny, though, because I only agreed to do it as an educational film for at-risk youth. I wanted to help keep them out of the gangs and not make the same mistakes I did. I wasn't doing it to gain support for my case.
DT: Your story has already inspired and intrigued a lot of people.
JC: How?
DT: They see you working so hard and struggling against adversity. They see you being an outsider, something everyone has to go through. How do you feel about this attention?
JC: Some of it comes from the boxing, from being a good fighter. I never expected to be looked at as a movie star. It's good how everything is going. I like how they're taking the story. It's weird but I'm taking it in good spirits. I'm just focusing on the world title. My life story is my life story. I just had the opportunity and I like the attention. Not everyone can put their families on TV. It's weird though because I'm asked about my family by strangers. At festivals, people will come up and ask how my mother is doing.
DT: I can see that happening. By the end of the film you feel like you know everybody and you come across as a nice guy.
JC: I'm a nice guy but I'm not nice in the ring.
DT: Any regrets?
JC: My only regret was being involved in the robbery and the gangs. Everything comes from that. I had to pay for that. I had to pay my time. It wasn't easy coming back from that but it was an experience, like being deported.
DT: In Mexico, what did you miss more: boxing or your family?
JC: My family. I would choose my family and friends. All I wanted was the opportunity to live and be with my family.
Jesus "EL Matador" Chavez was in Mexico for three years. His career is just now getting back on track. Split Decision premiered last Friday at the Arbor Theater. Future theatrical runs are dependent on the success of the film in Austin.
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