Heavyweight Dillian Whyte has been withdrawn from Saturday night’s show in Ipswich with a "big, big fight" in August now his priority.

The 37-year-old had been set to box over 10 rounds at Portman Road on the undercard of the show headlined by Fabio Wardley, who he manages.

But the event’s promoter, Frank Warren, has now revealed that Whyte will no longer be boxing at all.

It is the second time this year that Whyte has had to withdraw from a fight following the cancellation of his April 5 encounter with Joe Joyce after he cut his finger on a dumbbell in a freak gym accident.

“He’s not going to be on the card now,” Warren told Box Nation on Wednesday.

“He’s had the opportunity for a big, big fight in August and we are looking to get that over the line at the moment. It is a big, big fight for him so that’s going to take priority.

“He wants that, he wants the bigger fight than he would be getting if he was fighting in Ipswich. That’s what is going to happen. It’s a really big fight.”

A source had told The Ring that a clash with New Zealand’s Hemi Ahio was close to completion for Portman Road as Whyte targeted his first outing since his December victory over Ebenezer Tetteh in Gibraltar.

At the press conference to announce Wardley’s fight with Justis Huni, where it was also confirmed that Whyte would be on the card, the former world heavyweight title challenger had told The Ring he wanted to get active again — but that will have to wait.

He said: “Inactivity has basically killed my career in the last three years.

“I am looking at having a big fight at the end of July or early August and I just thought I need some activity before heading into that.

“I thought I need to get active as quickly as possible because I’m serious about having a last run at it again and possibly fighting for the world title.

“So I want to put myself in the position that when it comes I’m not just there to take part but I’m going there with a high chance of winning because I will have some momentum behind me.”

However, it looks as though there has been a change of plan with Whyte instead being lined up to head straight into a different fight in a few months.