Lomachenko plans November return at 130lbs in pursuit of undisputed title

Vasiliy Lomachenko is planning to return at super-featherweight in November, with manager Egis Klimas saying the former three-division champion intends to resume his pursuit of an undisputed championship.

After speaking to Klimas, Brian Custer reported that Lomachenko is “only coming back to fulfill his dream of becoming undisputed” and will pursue that goal “at his natural weight of 130”.

The winner of Emanuel Navarrete’s unification fight with O’Shaquie Foster is among Lomachenko’s targets, as is WBA champion Anthony Cacace. According to Custer, Lomachenko’s team also believe his extended absence has helped him physically.

Navarrete and Foster are due to meet at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on October 24, with the IBF, WBC and WBO super-featherweight titles and The Ring championship at stake. Cacace holds the WBA belt but is already committed to facing Nick Ball at The SSE Arena in Belfast on December 19.

Suarez linked to November comeback

Charly Suarez has been linked with Lomachenko’s proposed return, although an opponent has not been confirmed. The proposed fight has been reported as one that would guarantee the winner a title opportunity against Navarrete or Foster.

Suarez holds mandatory status with the WBO and has unfinished business with Navarrete. Their fight in May was stopped before the eighth round because of a cut above Navarrete’s left eyebrow, which referee Edward Collantes ruled had been caused by an accidental clash of heads.

Navarrete was awarded a unanimous technical decision, but replays showed that the cut had been opened by a legal Suarez punch. The California State Athletic Commission subsequently changed the result to a no contest.

The Filipino returned in July and stopped Manuel Avila in the opening round. Asked afterwards about the possibility of facing Lomachenko, Suarez deferred to his promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz.

“It depends on my promoter, Sampson [Lewkowicz],” Suarez said. “He knows what is good for me. I trust him so much – with everything. He knows the best fight for me.”

Lomachenko has not fought since stopping George Kambosos Jr in the 11th round in Perth on May 12, 2024, when he won the vacant IBF lightweight title. That victory appeared to move him closer to a long-discussed fight with Gervonta Davis, but Lomachenko withdrew from negotiations and began an extended break from the sport.

Questions about his physical condition followed. Klimas disclosed in late 2024 that Lomachenko had suffered a back injury in training and would continue boxing only if he recovered fully.

The IBF granted Lomachenko a medical extension in January 2025, while Zaur Abdullaev and Raymond Muratalla were directed to contest an interim title. Lomachenko then announced his retirement in June of that year.

He reversed that decision in May 2026, following the expiration of his promotional agreement with Top Rank. Lomachenko has since left the company and is represented by a new management group, leaving him free to pursue fights across the super-featherweight division, where he previously held the WBO title.

Now 38, Lomachenko became a world champion in his third professional contest by defeating Gary Russell Jr for the vacant WBO featherweight belt. He moved up to stop Roman Martinez for the WBO super-featherweight title before winning and unifying championships at lightweight.

Defeats by Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney disrupted his attempts to become undisputed at 135lbs. The stoppage of Kambosos restored Lomachenko as a world champion, but his subsequent absence prevented him from building on that victory.

Cacace tied to Ball fight and WBA mandatory

Any attempt to face Cacace must account for the Belfast fighter’s existing commitments. Cacace was elevated to WBA Super Champion on September 9 and authorised to make one voluntary defence against Ball after the sanctioning body accepted that a British Boxing Board of Control ruling created a practical obstacle to staging his mandatory fight with Elnur Samedov in Britain.

The winner of Cacace-Ball will have 12 days to confirm participation in the mandatory defence against Samedov. That fight is due to take place on neutral territory, at a venue and on a date approved by the WBA Championships Committee.

Cacace will enter the Ball fight after successive victories over Joe Cordina, Josh Warrington, Leigh Wood and Jazza Dickens. Lomachenko’s route towards him will therefore depend on the outcome in Belfast and the WBA’s mandatory process.

Before then, Navarrete and Foster are scheduled to consolidate three of the division’s four major belts on October 24. Lomachenko’s team is working towards his return the following month, with his opponent still to be confirmed.