Gustavo Olivieri, president of the WBO, announced Tuesday that the Puerto Rico-based sanctioning organization has delayed Navarette’s mandatory obligation so that Navarrete can defend his IBF and WBO belts against Foster. The WBC title Foster owns will also be on the line when they square off October 24 in a 12-round main event DAZN will stream globally from Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.

Navarrete (40-2-1, 33 KOs, 1 NC), of San Juan Zitlaltepec, Mexico, and Foster (25-3, 12 KOs), of Orange, Texas, will fight The Ring’s unclaimed championship as well because Navarrete is ranked No. 1 in The Ring Top 10 and Foster is No. 2.

The Navarrete-Foster winner will be obligated to make a mandated defense of the WBO junior lightweight title within 180 days of their fight or risk being stripped of that title.

Charly Suarez has been the mandatory challenger for one of Navarrete’s titles since the WBO ordered the Mexican champion to give Suarez a rematch in June 2025.

The Philippines’ Suarez is expected, however, to fight former three-division champ Vasiliy Lomachenko next. Representatives for Suarez and Lomachenko have yet to finalize a deal for their bout.

Ukraine’s Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) announced his retirement in June 2025, but he launched his comeback in May. The 38-year-old two-time Olympic gold medalist can earn a shot at the Navarrete-Foster winner by beating Suarez (19-0, 11 KOs, 1 NC) in his comeback bout.

Suarez is ranked No. 4 among The Ring’s junior lightweight contenders, behind only Navarrete, Foster and WBA champ Anthony Cacace (25-1, 9 KOs).

Navarrete was initially declared the winner of his fight with Suarez, who was his mandatory challenger, by technical decision in May 2025. The California State Athletic Commission changed the official result to a no-contest in June 2025 because it determined one of Suarez’s left-handed punches opened a cut over Navarrete’s left eye early in the sixth round, not an accidental clash of heads.

If referee Edward Collantes or replay official Jack Reis ruled on fight that Suarez’s punch caused Navarrete’s cut, Suarez would’ve been ruled the winner by technical knockout once one of the CSAC’s ringside physicians wouldn’t allow Navarrete to continue early in the eighth round due to that cut.

Navarrete was narrowly ahead on all three scorecards – 78-75, 77-76 and 77-76 – at the time of the stoppage.