Vasiliy Lomachenko Could Face O’Shaquie Foster Without a Tune-Up — But His Comeback Plan Is Not a Fight Deal

Vasiliy Lomachenko is preparing to return to boxing with an ambition much larger than simply ending his retirement. During DAZN’s October 24 broadcast, Lomachenko said he plans to fight again in 2027 at super featherweight and pursue undisputed status, identifying the winner of O’Shaquie Foster’s unification fight with Emanuel Navarrete as a target.

Foster won that fight, defeating Navarrete by unanimous decision in San Antonio to retain the WBC championship and capture the WBO and IBF titles. ESPN reported that Foster scored two knockdowns in the final round and won by scores of 118-108, 118-108 and 115-111.

That result gives Lomachenko a clear target, but it does not give him a confirmed opponent. Boxing News has reported that Charly Suarez is the likely choice for Lomachenko’s first fight back, while Boxing News 24 has characterized the former champion as potentially moving directly into a Foster challenge without a tune-up. No contract, date, venue, promoter or broadcaster has been announced for either matchup.

The distinction matters because Lomachenko’s ambition is already established. His physical readiness is not.

Lomachenko Wants More Than a Ceremonial Return

Lomachenko has not fought since stopping George Kambosos Jr. in the 11th round on May 12, 2024, a victory that earned him the vacant IBF lightweight title, according to Boxing News. Yahoo Sports recorded that he announced his retirement in June 2025.

His direction appeared to change in September 2026 when manager Egis Klimas told broadcaster Brian Custer that Lomachenko wanted to return at 130 pounds and pursue undisputed status. Lomachenko then addressed the plan himself during DAZN’s October 24 coverage, saying he intended to return in 2027 and target the winner of Foster-Navarrete.

Bad Left Hook lists Lomachenko’s professional record as 18-3 with 12 knockouts. That résumé comes with elite championship experience and a level of technical credibility that few returning fighters could carry into a new division. Lomachenko is not attempting to rebuild his name. He is apparently trying to use it to move quickly toward the most meaningful championship available.

That is what makes the possible Foster fight so compelling.

It is also what makes the idea so dangerous.

By the time Lomachenko returns in 2027, his absence could be approaching three years. Training can restore timing, conditioning and confidence to a degree, but it cannot duplicate the speed of an active elite opponent making decisions under real pressure. Lomachenko would be moving into a division with a three-belt champion who just produced decisive evidence of his current form.

This would not be a famous former champion returning for a comfortable appearance. An immediate Foster challenge would ask whether Lomachenko can go directly from retirement and prolonged inactivity into a fight against the man holding most of the division’s major titles.

Foster’s Victory Changed the Meaning of Lomachenko’s Target

Before October 24, Lomachenko was targeting the winner of a major super-featherweight unification fight. After Foster’s victory, that general ambition became a specific and much more difficult proposition.

The WBC reported that Foster defeated Navarrete by unanimous decision, retained its championship and added the WBO and IBF belts. The sanctioning body lists Foster’s updated record as 26-3 with 12 knockouts.

The scorecards showed a clear victory, and the final round gave the performance an emphatic conclusion. According to ESPN, Foster dropped Navarrete twice in the 12th before receiving scores of 118-108, 118-108 and 115-111.

Foster therefore represents more than a route to another title for Lomachenko. He represents the strongest available test of whether Lomachenko’s old advantages can still function against a current champion operating with confidence, activity and momentum.

Lomachenko’s style has always depended on more than technical knowledge. His success has required sharp reactions, coordinated footwork, sustained concentration and the ability to create openings through repeated changes of angle. Those qualities are vulnerable to inactivity because knowing what to do and executing it at championship speed are not the same thing.

Foster would not be entering the matchup as a supporting figure in Lomachenko’s comeback story. He would be the three-belt champion with his own objective.

Yahoo Sports reported that Foster wants the winner of the remaining WBA-title fight as part of his pursuit of undisputed status. The outlet also reported that Foster believes Lomachenko should take a tune-up before challenging him.

That position is reasonable. Foster has already earned three championships in the division, and his preferred next step would apparently move him closer to collecting the fourth. Lomachenko may be the more internationally recognized name, but recognition alone does not establish that he should move ahead of Foster’s divisional priorities.

Charly Suarez Could Provide the Evidence Lomachenko Still Needs

The possibility of a comeback fight against Charly Suarez complicates reports that Lomachenko intends to challenge Foster immediately.

Boxing News reported that Lomachenko identified Suarez as his likely first opponent after the layoff and indicated that he would evaluate how he felt following that fight. That is not the language of a finalized booking, but it suggests Lomachenko understands that his body may need to answer questions before he commits to a three-belt challenge.

Bad Left Hook reported that Lomachenko said training currently feels good while also acknowledging that he does not know how his body will respond after another month or two of preparation.

That uncertainty may be the most important part of the entire comeback story.

Lomachenko can assess his movement, stamina and sharpness in the gym, but even high-level sparring cannot fully reveal how he will react when an opponent is trying to disrupt his rhythm under official fight conditions. A comeback bout could show whether he can still make 130 pounds effectively, sustain his preferred pace, absorb clean contact and recover between rounds.

It would also give Lomachenko a chance to discover whether his timing returns naturally or requires more competitive rounds. For a fighter whose style depends on processing distance and creating openings faster than his opponent can adjust, a small decline could have a significant effect.

A Suarez fight would not automatically prepare Lomachenko for Foster, and it should not be treated as confirmed until the necessary parties announce it. It would, however, give everyone something more useful than training reports and memories of Lomachenko’s previous championship form.

If Lomachenko returns and looks sharp, durable and physically comfortable at super featherweight, Foster becomes a credible next step. If Lomachenko struggles, fades or appears unable to reproduce the movement that once separated him from other elite fighters, an immediate championship challenge would look less like ambition and more like a gamble based on reputation.

The Foster Fight Remains a Target, Not an Agreement

The current reports change the direction of Lomachenko’s story, but they do not settle his next move.

They establish that Lomachenko plans to return in 2027, intends to compete at 130 pounds and has identified Foster as a championship target. They also establish that Foster now holds the WBC, WBO and IBF titles after defeating Navarrete.

They do not establish that Lomachenko will face Foster in his first fight back.

No formal announcement has supplied a contract, date or venue for Lomachenko-Foster. No promoter or broadcaster has confirmed that negotiations have produced an agreement. The reports also leave unanswered whether Lomachenko has formally resumed his career, secured the necessary boxing license or obtained the ranking required for an immediate title opportunity.

Foster’s plans create another obstacle. According to Yahoo Sports, he wants to pursue the remaining WBA championship before considering other major fights. If that opportunity becomes available, undisputed status would give Foster an obvious reason to look elsewhere before entertaining Lomachenko.

Boxing News 24’s suggestion that Lomachenko could bypass a tune-up presents an intriguing possibility, but it should remain labeled as unconfirmed. Boxing News’ separate report about Suarez presents a more cautious route, although that matchup has not been officially booked either.

The uncertainty does not weaken the story. It defines it.

Lomachenko has chosen the destination, but he has not yet shown whether his body can complete the journey. His last competitive evidence came against Kambosos in May 2024. Foster’s evidence came on October 24, 2026, against Navarrete.

A résumé can explain why Lomachenko belongs in the conversation. Only another performance can show whether he still belongs in the ring with Foster.