Whyte ordered to fight final eliminator for WBC title against Ortiz
Dillian Whyte's long road to a world title shot hit another stumbling block on Monday after the WBC ordered him to fight Luis Ortiz, with the winner becoming the second mandatory challenger to champion Deontay Wilder.
Whyte, the WBC silver champion and No 1-ranked challenger to Wilder's belt, had appeared to take a huge step towards a shot at the Bronze Bomber with a savage sixth-round knockout of Lucas Browne last month.
His promoter Eddie Hearn has made lucrative offers to Wilder in attempt to lure the American into a fight with the Brixton heavyweight. But the WBC king is instead targeting a fight with Britain's WBA, IBF and WBO champion Anthony Joshua for the undisputed title.
Heavyweight Dillian Whyte has been ordered to fight Luis Ortiz in a WBC final eliminator
Whyte is already the No 1 challenger to current WBC king, America's Deontay Wilder
Now Whyte must fight the dangerous Cuban Ortiz to remain on course for a shot at Wilder.
The victor will still remain American Dominic Breazeale in the queue, however, after the sanctioning body announced that his victory over Eric Molina last November made him their first mandatory challenger.
Four months on, Ortiz gave the Bronze Bomber a huge scare before being stopped in the 10th round of their rollercoaster showdown.
'We are very happy to find again a way to fight for the world title,' Ortiz's manager Jay Jimenez is quoted as saying by elnuevoherald.com.
Wilder overcame a huge scare to stop Ortiz in the 10th round of their bout in New York in March
American Dominic Breazeale is the current mandatory challenger to Wilder's WBC crown
'We are convinced that Luis will be the winner and he will face another bout with Wilder in a fight that will be twice as attractive as the first.'
Ortiz appeared on the cusp of a stunning upset against Wilder in New York in March, before the WBC champion rallied to score the 39th stoppage win of his destructive career.
The 39-year-old Ortiz, who was bidding to become Cuba's first world heavyweight champion, has twice been banned for doping offences.
Whyte, meanwhile, has also been ordered to fight Kubrat Pulev in a final eliminator for Joshua's IBF title.
The Brixton heavyweight has won 23 of his 24 professional fights, with his sole defeat coming at the hands of his British rival in December 2015.