Wednesday 25 April 2018 16:14, UK
Dillian Whyte is no longer first in line for Deontay Wilder's WBC heavyweight title, the governing body has said.
Whyte has been ordered to fight Luis Ortiz to decide the 'second mandatory', while Dominic Breazeale is the WBC's preferred challenger to Wilder.
Meanwhile, Anthony Joshua and Wilder's representatives are expected to hold negotiations in New York this week about a fight for the undisputed title that would render their mandatory obligations irrelevant.
"I'm going to look to meet up with them in New York, get face to face with them, look into the whites of their eyes, and just see if we can make a deal," Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn told Sky Sports last week.
The order to fight Ortiz is a setback to Whyte, who holds the WBC 'silver' belt and is still listed at No 1 in their rankings underneath their champion.
He brutally knocked out Lucas Browne last month to solidify his position but, if he opts to pursue the WBC title, will have to find a way past Cuba's Ortiz who was recently beaten by Wilder.
Breazeale, No 2 on the WBC's listings, is a former challenger of Joshua's and most recently stopped Eric Molina.
Londoner Whyte still retains plenty of options as he bids for his maiden world title fight.
The IBF has ordered him to fight Kubrat Pulev to decide the mandatory challenger to the title held by Joshua.
"It would secure me a place as mandatory challenger for the IBF, and it's a fight that I want," Whyte told Sky Sports earlier this month. "I believe I can beat Pulev all day long. At the O2, it's a big fight."
Whyte is also in the mix with the WBA, who rank him at No 8, and who count Alexander Povetkin as Joshua's mandatory challenger.
"Povetkin stands no chance of enforcing that fight at this minute, so I do think he should let me and him fight in a final eliminator," said Whyte.
Pursuing opportunities with the IBF or WBA could lead to a rematch with Joshua, who owns those titles, after Whyte lost their first fight in late 2015.
