Arum: Lomachenko Set to Return in February Against Unbeaten Charly Suarez, With Foster in Sight

Vasiliy Lomachenko's comeback has a month and, most likely, an opponent. Top Rank founder Bob Arum says the former three-division champion is expected to return in February against unbeaten Filipino contender Charly Suarez, with a junior lightweight title fight against O'Shaquie Foster as the hoped-for next step.

Arum first laid out the plan to reporter Dan Rafael, who wrote on X on Oct. 26 that Top Rank is doing a new deal with Lomachenko, that he "will return in Feb. and fight Charly Suarez," and that a win would set up a "probable fight with Foster for the title." Arum repeated the outline in an interview with Fight Hub TV, quoted by The Ring: "Loma will probably fight Charly Suarez. And then hopefully by next mid-year, they can fight each other."

Nothing is signed for the public yet. No date, venue or broadcaster has been announced for Lomachenko vs. Suarez, and in his Oct. 28 notebook Rafael described the new Top Rank contract as still being finalized, since Lomachenko's previous deal with the company expired. Treat February as the target, not a booking.

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Why Suarez, and why now

Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) was ringside at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on Oct. 24, when O'Shaquie Foster dropped Emanuel Navarrete twice on his way to a unanimous decision that unified the WBC, WBO and IBF titles at 130 pounds and added The Ring belt. Top Rank later posted photos of the two men shaking hands at ringside with a simple question.

Suarez (19-0, 1 NC) is the reason the road runs through him before it reaches Foster. He was the mandatory challenger to Navarrete's WBO title, and The Ring reported that Navarrete was cleared to face Foster on condition that the winner would face Suarez next. Suarez's first fight with Navarrete was initially ruled a technical decision loss after Navarrete was cut in the eighth round; it was later changed to a no-contest after replay showed the cut came from a punch, not a clash of heads.

So a Lomachenko-Suarez fight in February would, in effect, settle who has the strongest claim to Foster's belts by the middle of next year.

Back at 130, nearly three years later

Lomachenko has not fought since May 2024, when he stopped George Kambosos Jr. in the 11th round in Perth, Australia, to win the vacant IBF lightweight title. He announced his retirement in 2025 while still holding that belt, then reversed course this year. He has said he will campaign at junior lightweight, where he once held the WBO title, and his stated goal is the undisputed championship that slipped away in his controversial decision loss to Devin Haney at lightweight. He turns 39 in February.

For the full picture of how Foster got here, read our report on Foster dropping Navarrete twice to unify three titles in San Antonio. The Ringside Whisperer flagged the early chatter in "Shock vs. Loma? Arum Says Suarez First"; this is where that talk now stands on the record.

Think Loma still has it at 38? Follow him on his Boxbid boxer page, and once the Suarez fight is booked, make your call in Fight Picker and Guess the Purse, then argue it out with other fans in the community rooms.