The WBO has granted Emanuel Navarrete (picture) an exception to his mandatory defense obligation, clearing the way for a three-belt junior lightweight unification bout against WBC world champion O’Shaquie Foster. Navarrete, the reigning WBO and IBF junior lightweight world champion, had been obligated to face WBO mandatory challenger Charly Suarez. In a September 1st resolution, but the WBO World Championship Committee authorized Navarrete to face Foster first, citing the significance of a bout that would bring together three of the four major world titles at 130 pounds. The exception comes with an important condition: the winner of Navarrete-Foster must next defend the WBO title against Suarez within 180 days of the unification bout. That obligation follows the WBO title, meaning Foster would inherit the mandatory defense against Suarez if he defeats Navarrete. The winner also cannot take another voluntary defense, unification or non-title bout before facing Suarez without extraordinary circumstances and prior WBO approval.
Both Navarrete and Foster, through their representatives, have acknowledged and accepted those conditions, according to the WBO. Navarrete and Suarez first met on May 10, 2025, in San Diego. The fight was stopped because of a cut suffered by Navarrete and initially ruled a technical-decision victory for the champion, but the result was subsequently changed to a no contest. The WBO then ordered an immediate rematch and designated Suarez as its official mandatory challenger.
That rematch was delayed when Navarrete received permission to pursue a unification with then-IBF champion Eduardo Nunez. Navarrete defeated Nunez to add the IBF title to his WBO championship, while the WBO preserved Suarez's position as mandatory challenger.
Navarrete subsequently requested another exception, this time to face Foster. The WBO determined that the opportunity to consolidate three major world championships justified allowing the unification before the overdue Suarez fight.
The 31-year-old Navarrete is a three-division champion. He won his first WBO title at super bantamweight by defeating Isaac Dogboe in 2018, subsequently captured the featherweight championship, and became a three-division champion by stopping Liam Wilson for the vacant junior lightweight title in 2023. A victory over Foster would leave Navarrete holding the WBO, IBF and WBC junior lightweight world titles, one championship short of becoming undisputed champion.
Regardless of who wins, Suarez is scheduled to get the next opportunity at the WBO championship. The WBO emphasized that its exception authorizes only the Navarrete-Foster fight before the mandatory must be satisfied.
