Charly’s curse: Suarez left hanging by Top Rank

First, the good news.

Charly Suarez will get his shot at the world super-featherweight crown — the World Boxing Organization (WBO) version — according to his promotional outfit Top Rank.

Now, the bad news.

That would only happen if the winner of the unification showdown between Emanuel Navarrete and Eduardo Nuñez set on 28 February at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, decides to keep the WBO title.

Navarrete is the WBO holder while Nuñez is the International Boxing Federation titleholder.

“Yes — if the winner wants to keep the WBO version of the title.  If not, he would be stripped of it,” Top Rank vice president for operations Carl Moretti told DAILY TRIBUNE via email.

The Top Rank declaration still doesn’t guarantee Suarez of what he has been longing for the last year or so.

What if the winner decides to relinquish or vacate the WBO 130-pound throne afterwards?

In this scenario, Suarez would still be left hanging despite his lofty status as the WBO’s mandatory challenger.

There have been talks that Navarrete is plotting to go up in weight and if he proceeds with it, the Filipino fighter won’t be getting the opportunity to face him in a rematch.

Last May, Navarrete and Suarez rumbled in San Diego, California, with the Mexican winding up the winner by way of an eighth-round technical decision when referee Ed Collantes committed the mistake of ruling a legit blow that caused a cut into an accidental clash of heads.

Had it not been for that boo-boo, Suarez would have won by technical knockout.

Later, after Suarez’s camp filed a protest with the California State Athletic Commission, the result was changed from a loss to a No-Contest.

The WBO would also try to make it up by installing Suarez as Navarrete’s mandatory challenger.

But with Top Rank and Navarrete showing disinterest in a second meeting, they opted to stage a two-belt, all-Mexican clash with Nuñez.

At 37 years old, time is running out for Suarez.