By Rick Reeno
BoxingScene.com has been advised that the World Boxing Council has ordered heavyweights Luis Ortiz and Dillian Whyte to take part in a WBC final eliminator.
The winner would become the mandatory challenger to WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs).
Wilder is scheduled to return in the coming, potentially in a voluntary defense against Dominic Breazeale - if a deal is not reached for unification with IBF, IBO, WBA, WBO champion Anthony Joshua.
Whyte (23-1, 17 KOs) was in action last month, when he pulled off a sensational one-punch knockout of former WBA champion Lucas Browne in the seventh round of their HBO televised bout from the O2 Arena in London.
He is scheduled to see action in July, against an opponent to be determined.
Ortiz (28-1, 24 KOs) suffered his first career defeat last month, in a very exciting fight with Wilder at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
He was down earlier in the fight, but came back to get Wilder in serious trouble at the end of the seventh round - and many felt Wilder was on the verge of being stopped. But Wilder came back to score two knockdowns of his own for a stoppage victory in the tenth round.
There is a purse bid set for May 25th in Mexico City - and if the contest heads to a purse bid the split will be 50-50.
Both fighters have had their issues with PED infractions in the past.
Whyte was suspended for two years after using a post-workout energy drink that he purchased from a nutrition shop, and the drink happened to contain a banned substance.
Ortiz was suspended for nine months after testing positive for a banned steroid in the aftermath of his first round knockout of Lateef Kayode in 2014. He was also placed on a temporary suspension late last year after failing a random drug test - but was ultimately cleared when the substances in question were attributed to his prescribed medication for high blood pressure.
2023-10-20 21:49:19
