LET us take a trip down memory lane. On May 10, 2025, in San Diego, California, Mexican Emanuel Navarrete successfully defended his World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior lightweight title (130 pounds) with an eighth round technical decision victory Filipino mandatory challenger Charly Suarez. The fight was halted at the start of the eighth round after Navarrete was declared unfit to continue because of a cut over his left eyebrow. The referee initially declared that the cut was caused by an accidental headbutt. Ahead on the official scorecards at the time of the abrupt stoppage, Navarrete was declared the winner by technical decision. On June 3, 2025, the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) unanimously overturned the result to a No Contest after the video review proved the cut was caused by a punch rather than an accidental head clash. Because the cut was caused by a legal punch, the bout should have been a technical knockout win for Suarez. As a consolation, Suarez’s unbeaten record was restored and he remained the mandatory contender for the WBO junior lightweight title. Shortly after the ruling of the CSAC, the WBO also ordered an immediate rematch between Navarrete and Suarez. Four months later, in October 2025, the WBO ignored its own directive and instead granted a 15-day negotiation extension to allow the camps of Navarrete (WBO) and then IBF junior lightweight champion Eduardo” Sugar” Nuñez to secure a step-aside financial agreement with WBO mandatory challenger Suarez. Basically, a step-aside fee in pro boxing is a financial payment made to a mandatory challenger to delay or temporarily give up their rightful title shot so the champion can fight a different opponent instead. Suarez apparently agreed to accept the said fee. In February 2026, Navarrete and Nuñez ultimately squared off in a highly anticipated unification bout. Navarrete won via an 11th-round stoppage to unify the WBO and IBF junior lightweight titles. Pursuant to the WBO’s June 2025 directive, Suarez should have been next for Navarrete. Lo and behold, in August 2026, the WBO ignored anew its directive and this time granted Navarrete a mandatory exception to allow WBO-IBF champ Navarrete to figure in three-belt unification fight against WBC counterpart champion O’Shaquie Foster of the United States. Suarez was again placed in the backburner as Navarrete and Foster swapped punches on Oct. 24. To save face, WBO officials declared that the winner of the Navarrete-Foster unification bout will have to face mandatory challenger Suarez within 180 days from Oct. 24. Executing a perfect fight plan, Foster defeated Navarrete by a 12-round unanimous decision. Foster punctuated his masterful performance by knocking down Navarrete twice in the final round. As the unified WBC, WBO, and IBF champion, Foster (26-3, 12 knockouts) must complete a mandatory title defense against Suarez within 180 days. Both camps are required to reach a deal before this deadline. Should negotiations fail, the WBO will order a purse bid, auctioning the promotional rights of the fight to any registered promoter. Here lies another potential problem: Shortly after Foster defeated Navarrete, the new unified champion was predictably showered with lucrative fight offers. Former three-division (featherweight, junior lightweight, and lightweight) champion Vasyl Lomachenko was seen at ringside of the Foster-Navarrete fight and his name was floated as a potential foe for Foster in mid-2027. Lomachenko last fought in May 2024, when he stopped George Kambosos for the IBF lightweight (135 pounds) diadem. He officially announced his retirement in June 2025. Lomachenko recently announced his return to boxing. He also expressed interest in a fight with Suarez. This is obviously a ploy to divert Suarez’s focus on the unified crown of Foster. One can already sense that Suarez will be offered a truckload of money to forget Foster and face Lomachenko instead. Foster, for his part, also expressed interest in unifying the junior lightweight championship with a fight opposite WBA counterpart champ Anthony Cacace of Northern Ireland. Cacace, 25-1 with 9 knockouts, is booked to defend the WBA title against Nick Ball on Dec. 19. Cacace is a heavy favorite to prevail. Foster did acknowledge his obligation to defend the WBC, WBO, and IBF titles against Suarez before pursuing any other lucrative offer. Suarez turned 38 last Aug. 14 and the clock is ticking for the Filipino. Since the Navarrete fight in May 2025, Suarez (19-0, 11 knockouts) has fought only once, stopping Manuel Avila in one round in July 2026. Suarez no longer has time on his side. If he still dreams of becoming a world champion, he must press his overdue right for a shot at the junior lightweight belts now owned by Foster.