Vasiliy Lomachenko could land an immediate world title shot, but only if he chooses to campaign at 130lbs.
Either way, the 38-year-old is set to return to action later this year, having allowed his deal with Top Rank to expire earlier this month.
As a promotional free agent, ‘Loma’ is now expected to fight for the first time since May 2024, back when he scored an 11th-round stoppage victory over George Kambosos Jr.
In doing so, Lomachenko claimed the IBF lightweight title after having previously become a three-division world champion, with his last 10 professional outings all being fought at 135lbs.
But while many are expecting him to return to lightweight, perhaps in pursuit of an eventual clash with Gervonta Davis, the Ukrainian could potentially be tempted by an opportunity at 130lbs.
In other words, he is set to be offered an immediate world title shot against unified champion Emanuel Navarrete, who comes off a dominant 11th-round finish over Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez.
This, in turn, saw him unify the WBO and IBF titles, though it remains unclear what options the Mexican is exploring for his next outing.
One of them, however, could be a showdown against Lomachenko, with WBO president Gustavo Olivieri sharing his thoughts on the matter via social media.
“Lomachenko is back, and if he wants to fight at 130lbs against Navarrete, I’m sure that the WBO Executive Committee [will approve their fight].
“In light of his professional merits – [two-time] Olympic [gold] medallist, champion in multiple divisions, WBO super champion, a future Hall of Famer – I’m sure the approval will be unanimous.”
WBO President Gustavo Olivieri reiterated that, should Team Loma formally seek a direct shot at Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete, the matter would receive serious consideration from the Executive Committee given Lomachenko’s legacy as a 3-Division WBO World Champion and one of the… pic.twitter.com/ZJy3qTcU3P
— WBO (@WorldBoxingOrg) May 21, 2026
While the Lomachenko fight could make sense for both parties, super-featherweight contender Charly Suarez will be demanding a mandatory shot at Navarrete if he comes through his next outing, against Manuel Avila, on July 11.
