Heavyweight puncher Luis Ortiz has accepted the recent challenge from Dillian Whyte, according to the Cuban boxer's manager Jay Jimenez.

In a recent interview, Whyte made it clear that he was very willing to face Ortiz on a date in February.

Whyte has been out of the ring since August, when he was brutally knocked out in five rounds by Alexander Povetkin at Matchroom's Fight Camp in Brentwood.

A rematch with Povetkin was set for November 21, and then for January 30 - with both dates being postponed as Povetkin continues to recover from a recent battle with COVID-19.

In order to stay busy while waiting for Povetkin to get healthy, Whyte is open to fighting in February against Ortiz.

"Even now, Povetkin keeps delaying it, saying he's sick. I'm like, 'Okay, 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," Whyte told Sky Sports.

And Ortiz has no problem with taking that fight.

"Ortiz heard those rumours. I guess Dillian was calling his name and other names, and he reached to me and asked me, 'Look, if that's true, I would like to step in the ring with him. That would be a great fight.' I told him that I would find out. I think yeah, that would be a great fight," Jimenez said to Sky Sports.

"Luis Ortiz would love to take that fight. I say January, February [Ortiz could be ready]. I know Dillian Whyte had that unfortunate loss and he was winning the fight, he got careless, and he got caught, but that's the heavyweights. That's the heavyweight division. You can't afford any slippage. If that's possible [to fight Whyte in the UK], yes we'll go wherever the money is at. That would be a big fight."