Dillian Whyte urged Deontay Wilder to fight him after Luis Ortiz's failed drug test

Dillian Whyte has branded Deontay Wilder a 'coward' and challenged the WBC champion to fight him after Luis Ortiz failed a drug test.

Wilder's scheduled defence of his WBC heavyweight title against Ortiz in New York on November 4 has been thrown into doubt, as the Cuban challenger "tested positive for a banned substance" after taking part in the WBC's Voluntary Anti-Doping Association test.

Whyte is eager to appear on the undercard of Anthony Joshua-Kubrat Pulev in Cardiff on October 28, live on Sky Sports Box Office, but would be willing to change his plans if he finally receives a shot at Wilder.

"I've been chasing that fight for a while," Whyte exclusively told Sky Sports. "It's a bit short notice, four weeks and a bit, but I've been training and I'm always ready to go.

"I believe it's a very winnable fight and it's one which I would take if we can reach terms and the terms is right, then yeah.

I believe it's a very winnable fight and it's one which I would take if we can reach terms and the terms is right, then yeah.

"Deontay Wilder is a coward, he wanted to fight Luis Ortiz, because Ortiz is old and been inactive for a long time. That's the only reason he wants to fight Luis Ortiz.

"He doesn't want to fight nobody who is young, who is going to come there to win the fight."

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Promoter Eddie Hearn has suggested that Whyte is one of the most avoided men in the top division and the Brixton man says fight offers have been turned down by a long list of rivals, including former IBF champion Charles Martin.

"Charles Martin, Lucas Browne, Jarrell Miller, we've offered everyone in the top 15 to fight me and no one really has taken it," said Whyte. "There is not a lot of people left. Maybe Carlos Takam is a good one?

"I've had [Robert] Helenius offered, Lucas Browne offered, Charles Martin offered, [Alexander] Dimitrenko offered. That's four different styles, so I've just had to get what sparring I can.

"Charles Martin definitely don't want it, because he said to [adviser] Al Haymon 'get me a fight, I'll fight anyone', and he's been calling me out. He said no we don't want that kind of work at this moment in time. We don't want to fight Dillian.

"Lucas Browne is talking rubbish about money. I know Eddie Hearn has upped the figure a lot. Helenius, we gave him exactly what he asked for and then he turned it down to fight in Finland for a fraction of the money."