A highly significant and intriguing heavyweight contest was announced on Thursday, when it was confirmed that Dillian Whyte (23-1, 17 KOs) will clash with former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker (24-1, 18 KOs) at London’s 02 Arena on July 28.

One individual that was certainly far from thrilled with the news, however, was heavyweight contender Bulgarian contender Kubrat Pulev (25-1, 13 KOs).

Whyte's promoter Eddie Hearn had recently been in negotiations for his charge to enter a final eliminator for the IBF heavyweight title with Pulev.

However, the proposed bout was thrown into doubt when purse bids for the contest were won by Epic Sports - who seemed intent upon staging the clash in Pulev's home country.

Apparently not enamoured by the prospect of travelling to Eastern Europe - or the 75-25% purse split that Pulev would have received for the contest - Whyte instead opted for a meeting with Parker in the more comfortable surroundings of London.

Pulev was incensed that Whyte had opted out of their fight and has released a statement to vent his frustrations.

"After Epic Sports won the purse bid for my IBF elimination bout against Dillian Whyte with a bid of $1.5 million, double what Whyte’s own promoter, Eddie Hearn [of Matchroom Boxing] bid, I was expecting Whyte and his promoter to run away from the fight, but I didn’t expect from them to be such jerks about it," said Pulev of Whyte's decision, as per Boxing Scene.

"Hearn and Whyte did everything they could to avoid fighting me."

"A formal IBF contract was sent to Whyte but they didn’t sign it. This is not some club show we are talking about, but a major fight with global interest between two legitimate top ten heavyweights that would decide the future of the heavyweight division.

"The bottom line is that they lost the bid but instead of playing by the rules, Eddie Hearn and his fighter decided to pick up their marbles and go home with their tails between their legs."

The reality of this situation is that, in choosing to fight Parker, Whyte finds himself in a far stronger position that if he were to have fought Pulev. The fight on 28 July is still a meeting of two top ten heavyweights and will still generate worldwide interest.

Indeed, Parker is a bigger name than Pulev by virtue of his almost 18-month reign as WBO heavyweight champion, as well as his unification fight with Anthony Joshua in which he lost his championship.

The bout also looks set to be a lucrative one, as it is slated to be broadcast on Sky Box Office pay-per-view in the UK - a scenario unimaginable for a Whyte vs Pulev bout from Bulgaria.

The loser of the Whyte vs Parker fight will find themselves definitively out of contention for a world heavyweight title shot in the near future. Whyte, though, seems to have found himself a willing opponent in the shape of Pulev - even if he fails to defeat Joseph Parker in London.

"Whoever told you that I was not interested in fighting you is delusional. And the proof is in the pudding. You could have taken the fight but you are the one who pulled out, not me. But, hey, if Hearn is misleading you somehow, let me tell you personally - I'm here and ready to beat your delusional ass back to reality."