Off in October. Back on for February.
Back on 8 October we told you Charly Suarez vs Vasiliy Lomachenko was off — for now. And that the road to 2027 could still bring them together.
Well, here we are.
According to BoxingScene, the two camps are expected to finalise a February 13 fight, with both sides aiming for Las Vegas. A formal announcement could come as early as this week.
The prize? Top Rank's Bob Arum says the winner is pegged for a shot at new three-belt champion O'Shaquie Foster.
And Arum promises Charly "a fantastic purse", he told the Daily Tribune.
BUT HERE'S THE RUB
Suarez (19-0, 11 KOs) is the WBO's No. 1. He's already OWED a shot at Foster.
Now he has to get past a three-division champion first.
"If this is the only way to a world title fight, then so be it," said trainer Delfin Boholst.
That's the King's Warrior for you. No complaining. Just fighting.
And there's a little history here. The pair have met before — in the old World Series of Boxing, where Lomachenko took it on points.
Loma (18-3, 12 KOs) hasn't boxed since beating George Kambosos Jr for the IBF lightweight title in May 2024. Charly's last fight, in July, was over in round one.
Both men are 38.
Vietnam fans will remember Suarez too — he won the IBF Asia title at The Grand Ho Tram in Vung Tau back in December 2022.
His new promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, says Charly "has a shot".
We say he has more than that.
🇵🇭 CHARLY "KING'S WARRIOR" SUAREZ (19-0) v VASILIY LOMACHENKO (18-3) 🇺🇦
🥊 Super featherweight | Winner pegged for Foster
📅 13 February 2027 (expected, yet to be announced)
📍 Las Vegas (target venue)
Stay tuned !
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)
