By Robert Hill
The highly anticipated Charly Suarez vs Vasiliy Lomachenko showdown is off — for now. But if the pieces fall into place, it could still become one of the hottest fights of 2027.
In his prime, Vasiliy Lomachenko moved around the ring like a ghost. There is some irony, then, in the recently un-retired three-division champion spending weeks seemingly ghosting discussions over a potential fight with WBO No. 1-ranked super-featherweight contender Charly Suarez.
According to the Suarez camp, the unbeaten Filipino, 19-0 (11 KOs), is now content to wait for the outcome of the October 24 three-belt unification between WBO/IBF champion Emanuel Navarrete and WBC champion O’Shaquie Foster in San Antonio. Foster has told renowned publication BoxingScene that he would honour his obligation to face Suarez should he defeat Navarrete.
And that potential rematch carries plenty of history ! Navarrete defeated Suarez by a disputed technical decision in May 2025 after video replay appeared to show that Suarez should have been awarded a TKO victory — the cut that stopped the fight having been caused by a Suarez punch rather than the headbutt ruled by the referee.
Meanwhile, Lomachenko's apparent lack of interest in facing Suarez is believed to be connected to his own plans, with the Ukrainian reportedly targeting WBA junior-lightweight champion Anthony Cacace. And that could make things very interesting.
The winner of Lomachenko vs Cacace would potentially be positioned to challenge whoever emerges from Navarrete vs Foster for undisputed supremacy.
So while Suarez vs Lomachenko is off the table for now, the road to 2027 could finally bring the two best together — with considerably more at stake. And if it happens, it may just be one of the biggest unification fights of the year.
Bacolod's Genesis Servania will fight China's rising star Aketelieti Yelejian for the WBO Asia Lightweight title this November.
The highly-anticipated match up will take place on the undercard of the IBF world title fight between Pedro Taduran and Zhu DianXing at Jeju Island, South Korea.
Aketelieti Yelejian, who suffered a narrow loss to the Prince Albert Pagara in June, rebounded with an impressive IBF Asia victory against Korean Jin Su Kim in Vietnam recently. He is a very rangy and deceptive boxer known for his relaxed combinations, and he's supremely confident in his ability to take down Servania and claim the title.
"I've studied Servania's style, and I know I have the skills to outmaneuver him," Yelejian said yesterday.
"I'm excited to represent China on the international stage once more, and bring home an impressive win against a top and proven boxer like Genesis."
Servania, a seasoned veteran with a 35-4 record, boasts a reputation for toughness that has come from battles at the top level. And has still possesses some of the best body shots in the sport of boxing.
This important title shot gives the filipino the opportunity to re-establish himself on the world scene once more, and it's best remembered that his only defeats have came against world-ranked champions like Oscar Valdez and Andres Cortes.
But the China team have already confidently stated that Yelejian's youth, speed, height, and reach may all prove too much for the Filipino boxer.
Their optimism also exudes for the world title bout, where surprisingly, they are quite dismissive of Pedro Taduran's hopes of beating star Zhu DianXing. They actually rate their boxer so highly, they have predicted that the champion has no chance of retaining the belt.
These claims set up an intriguing backdrop for two massive Philippines v China feature bouts.
Fight Details :
- Date: Saturday, November 23rd
- Location: Jeju Island, South Korea
- Title: WBO Asia Lightweight
- Contenders: Aketelieti Yelejian (China) vs. Genesis Servania (Philippines)
