Lomachenko Linked With Return Against Suarez

Vasiliy Lomachenko, the former unified lightweight champion, has set his sights on unbeaten Filipino contender Charly Suarez for his return fight.

The matchup carries immediate title implications and gives Lomachenko the meaningful opponent he demanded as the condition of his comeback. Lomachenko's last appearance came in 2024, when he stopped George Kambosos Jr. in the eleventh round to claim the IBF lightweight title before retiring. He returns at 18-3 against a fighter who has spent the intervening period adding to an unblemished record now standing at eighteen wins without a defeat.

The stakes extend well beyond the fight itself. Suarez holds the WBO mandatory position at featherweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">super featherweight, meaning the winner of this contest will be lined up to face WBO and IBF champion Emanuel Navarrete. For Lomachenko, a win does not simply mark a successful return — it places him immediately in contention for a world title at 130 pounds.

Lomachenko is not easing himself back in against a manageable opponent — he is fighting an unbeaten mandatory challenger with a title shot as the direct reward for winning. At 36, with two years of ring rust to shake off, that is either an ambitious approach or a confident one, depending on what he looks like when the bell rings.