DENVER — Prosecutors have formally charged Denver boxer Mike Alvarado with a weapons offense after police say they found a handgun in his vehicle.

The Denver district attorney's office said Monday that it has charged 34-year-old Alvarado with possessing a weapon as a previous offender. Police say they arrested him Jan. 3 after finding a handgun in the glove compartment of his Hummer. As a convicted felon, the boxer cannot legally possess a firearm.

Police say Alvarado was a passenger in the Hummer when they stopped it because the license plates were expired. But officers say they saw him pushing the gun into the glove compartment, and he told them the vehicle belonged to him.

Alvarado, who has a Jan. 24 bout against Brandon Rios, is due in court Friday.