With the help of of Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Diego Chaves has obtained his work visa and has been cleared to travel to the U.S., enabling him to fight Brandon Rios on Saturday at the Cosmopolitan.
The fight was in jeopardy because the U.S. state department’s computer system that processes travel documents crashed which created chaos for travelers around the world.
Chaves, who lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina, passed an FBI clearance earlier this week, but like thousands of travelers looking to come to the U.S., the computer crash was creating issues for him.
Top Rank chairman Bob Arum is a longtime friend of Reid’s and their friendship help. The Senate majority leader and one of the most powerful men in the U.S., Reid, a longtime boxing fan, got involved and with his assistance, Chaves’ visa was expedited. Chaves was headed to the embassy in Buenos Aires to pick up the visa and then head to the airport.
Arum was unsure what time Diego would actually land in the States.
“When we became aware of this, we immediately called Sen. Reid’s office,” Arum said. “Christina Martinez from his office is assigned to these type of problems and she really worked hard. She got the State Department to cut through everything and got the visa issued. “This is absolutely great news because this is going to be one tremendous fight, but it also goes to show how Reid is hands-on. I really commend him. Without him, it never would have been possible.”
