Dillian Whyte (27-2, 18 KOs) has been weighing his options following the news that his contracted rematch against Alexander Povetkin will take longer to re-arrange than initially hoped.
Whyte lost his interim WBC heavyweight title — and the chance to be the mandatory challenger to Tyson Fury — when he was caught out by a vicious Povetkin uppercut in Round 5 of their Matchroom Fight Camp main event, having dominated the contest up until that point.
Their November rematch, written into the original contract and invoked by the Londoner almost immediately after his defeat, was then postponed when the Russian veteran caught coronavirus. A Jan. 30 rearrangement was targeted by promoter Eddie Hearn, but Povetkin continues to struggle with illness and is set to be out of the ring indefinitely.
Taking on someone else before attempting to avenge his loss to Povetkin is a risk, especially if that someone is a ranked contender. Nonetheless, Hearn admitted that Whyte is up for such opponents as Luis Ortiz, Deontay Wilder, Dereck Chisora and Andy Ruiz Jr.
In an appearance on the Ringside Toe 2 Toe podcast, Whyte went on to explain that one of those names in particular appeals more than others.
"I would love to smash Deontay Wilder's face in," said Whyte. "It's one of those fights where I would be very charged up. I would go out in the first round and just get going after him. It is frustrating, but it's still a big name. He's one of the top guys and I would love to fight him.
"He has to be serious. We offered him six, seven million dollars once and he turned it down when he was making one million dollars to fight Luis Ortiz. How serious is he?"
"When people mention Deontay Wilder's name to me, I just get stressed. I tried to fight him when he was champion. No. Now they've all lost, they want to fight me after.
"Luis Ortiz, I tried to fight Luis Ortiz three or four times. No. Povetkin, I tried to fight him three or four times before. No.
"But when they're in a bad position, they want to fight me now because it's a win-win for them. If they lose, they get paid well, if they win, they're back in the frame. These guys have got no respect.
"Even now, Povektin keeps delaying it, saying he's sick. I'm like, 'OK, that's fine, I want you to be at your best when I fight you'.
"Have as much time as you want, let me fight Luis Ortiz in February, and then I'll fight you later in the year."
Wilder's last fight was when he lost the WBC crown to Fury in their explosive rematch back in February. Wilder has since blamed his ringwalk outfit, accused Fury's team of loading his gloves and more.
The 41-year-old Ortiz, meanwhile, did break his pandemic inactivity with a 45-second knockout of Alexander Flores on Nov. 7. His only two professional defeats were both inflicted by Wilder.
Whyte would likely be considered the favourite if he took on the ageing Cuban in early 2021, while a bout with Wilder would be more finely-poised. Not only that, but both "The Body Snatcher" and "The Bronze Bomber" would be at risk of falling out of world title contention altogether if they agreed to fight but suffered a second consecutive defeat.