WBO clears Navarrete-Foster three-belt unification fight request

The WBO has approved Emanuel Navarrete’s request to face O’Shaquie Foster in a three-belt super-featherweight unification fight. The Championship Committee reached its decision unanimously, allowing the bout to proceed before Navarrete fulfils his mandatory obligation.

Navarrete currently holds the WBO junior-lightweight title and added the IBF belt when he stopped Eduardo Nunez in February. That victory came after his disputed no-contest against Charly Suarez, a result that had left the Filipino contender in line for a mandatory rematch.

Foster is the WBC super-featherweight champion. The American had been considering a fight with Shakur Stevenson, but those plans were put aside as the possibility of a unification bout with Navarrete developed.

The WBO’s approval comes with a condition. After the unification contest, the winner must defend the organisation’s title against its mandatory challenger within 180 days. The committee’s complete ruling, including the relevant conditions, is still due to be published.

A victory for either Navarrete or Foster would bring the division closer to its first undisputed champion in the four-belt era. Anthony Cacace owns the WBA title, although he is expected to first deal with Elnur Samedov, the WBA interim champion, before the final belt can become available.

The decision also changes the outlook for Suarez, whose mandatory rematch with Navarrete has been displaced by the exception. He has been linked with a bout against returning former champion Vasyl Lomachenko. Lomachenko’s route towards an undisputed title would then involve the Suarez winner, the winner of Navarrete-Foster and the victor of a potential Cacace-Samedov contest.