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Diego Chaves will likely be replaced for Brandon Rios

As the scheduled fight is now only a few days away, its looking evermore likely that Diego Chaves won't be able to make it into the U.S. in time to face Brandon Rios this Saturday.

Stephen Dunn
Wil Esco is an assistant editor of Bad Left Hook and has been covering boxing for SB Nation since 2014.

Apparently Diego Chaves is still stuck in Argentina, reports RingTV. The visa issues have continued to persist and the likelihood that he'll make it into the U.S. in time for his scheduled bout with Brandon Rios are growing increasingly slim. At this point, it looks very likely that Jose Zepeda (19-0, 16 KOs) will get the call to replace Chaves.

The problem derives from what Bob Arum describes as a huge backlog in the immigration system due to a computer malfunction. This malfunction has caused delays on thousands of visa applications, preventing many from entering the U.S.

"The only update is that the U.S. Consul in Argentina is trying to get the visa out of the f-king system," said Arum, "and, so far, they haven't been able to because the f-king system doesn't work."

I must admit I'm a little disappointed because this would surely be a good scrap. Then again, pretty much anyone Rios fights ends up being a good scrap because of his relentlessness style. I also find it mildly ironic that the United States haven't been able to stop the flow of illegal immigrants into the country for many years, yet now they can't even get people into the country legally. Perhaps if Diego Chaves just decided to become a stowaway that would be more expeditious.

**UPDATE**

Thanks to Senator Harry Reid, Diego Chaves just secured his visa and his fight with Brandon Rios will go on as scheduled.

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