Boxing News
Vasiliy Lomachenko-Charly Suarez nearly set for Feb. 13
Nov 3, 2026 • 3:26 PM ET
Top RankThree-division champion Vasiliy Lomachenko and recent junior lightweight title challenger Charly Suarez are expected to soon finalize agreement on a Feb. 13 bout, officials connected to talks told BoxingScene on Tuesday.
A formal announcement could arrive as early as this week, with the winner pegged for a title shot at new three-belt champion O’Shaquie Foster, Top Rank’s Bob Arum said.
The sides are waiting to firm up the venue, with each aiming to bring the fight to Las Vegas.
Arum said he wants to place the postponed 140lbs vacant IBF title fight between Mexico’s Lindolfo Delgado and Russia’s Arthur Biyarslanov on the card following Delgado’s decision not to fight on the conflict-endangered Saudi Arabia card this past weekend.
Lomachenko, 18-3 (12 KOs), hasn’t fought since winning the IBF lightweight belt versus George Kambosos Jnr in May 2024, while the Phillipines’ Suarez, 19-0 (11 KOs), posted a first-round knockout over Manuel Avila in July following his disputed no-contest with recent unified 130lbs champion Emanuel Navarrete in May 2025.
In that bout, the referee mistakenly ruled that an accidental headbutt cut Navarrete, leading the three-belt champion from Mexico to a narrow technical decision victory when Suarez should have gained the triumph because his punch opened the cut.
Foster defeated Navarrete by unanimous decision with two knockdowns Oct. 24 in his home state of Texas, adding the WBO and WBA belts to his existing WBC strap.
Top-ranked WBO fighter Suarez is owed an immediate title shot at Foster.
Both Suarez and Lomachenko are 38. Lomachenko moved toward a multifight agreement with Arum’s Top Rank after sitting next to the promoter at the Foster-Navarrete bout.
Suarez’s new promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, said his fighter “has a shot” to topple two-time Olympic champion Lomachenko.
“Loma’s almost two years without a fight, he’s close to 40 and he’s been distracted by war in his country [Ukraine],” Lewkowicz said.
Additionally, Lewkowicz noted Suarez nearly defeated Navarrete after arriving in the U.S. on fight week, and will prepare for Lomachenko as he did ahead of his win over Avila in a July ProBox card – by training in the months before the fight in the U.S.
“He showed real power in that ProBox fight,” Lewkowicz said. “I see it as a very competitive fight.”
- Bob Arum
- Top Rank
- Vasiliy Lomachenko
- Manuel Avila
- O’Shaquie Foster
- Lindolfo Delgado
- Emanuel Navarrete
- George Kambosos
- Arthur Biyarslanov
- Charly Suarez
- O'Shaquie Foster
Lance Pugmire has been a full-time boxing writer for nearly 20 years, serving now as BoxingScene’s U.S. Senior Writer and assistant producer for ProBoxTV’s “BoxingScene Today.” Pugmire capped a near 20-year career at the Los Angeles Times (sports investigations, NHL/MLB beat work, law enforcement/courts and boxing/UFC) to join The Athletic, and then USA Today. Pugmire’s stint at The Times started with the first Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez fight and the Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jnr then-record pay-per-view, leading through a slew of ringside assignments at major bouts, including Mayweather-Pacquiao, Mayweather-Canelo and the Canelo-Golovkin trilogy. Lance’s appreciation for boxing is rooted in his admiration and appreciation for the fighters, gladiators who have proven to be the most forthcoming and candid of all the athletes he has interviewed over a career dating to 1990. Lance was honored to be named the 2022 winner of the Boxing Writers Association of America Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence and he’s collected many BWAA writing awards in categories ranging from breaking news to deep-dive long features.
