Dillian Whyte has launched an X-rated rant against Tyson Fury in which he called the WBC world champion a "coward" and accused his rival of running away from him.

It came after 'The Gypsy King' shared a post proclaiming himself to be the self-appointed king of the heavyweights by tweeting a mock-up poster of himself and his fiercest rivals. 

Fury is the focus of one of the biggest stories in boxing in recent years, with a mega-fight with Anthony Joshua expected to take place in the summer of 2021. However, this hasn't stopped him from poking fun at his potential opponent on social media.

He wrote: "There has only ever been 1. @Tyson_Fury @BronzeBomber @DillianWhyte @anthonyjoshua @usykaa."

But Whyte, who was knocked out by Alexander Povetkin in August of last year but avenged his most recent loss in a rematch late last month, hit back in an X-rated tirade and took aim at his would-be adversary. 

He replied: "One these nuts in ya mouth u run away from fighting me twice #coward."

Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs), had won 11 of his previous 12 fights prior to his defeat to Povetkin, but a fight with former WBC champion Deontay Wilder never came to fruition.

"The Body Snatcher" stopped the Russian in the fourth round of their rematch at the Europa Point Sports Complex, Gibraltar, and publicly called for a matchup against "The Bronze Bomber" in a recent Instagram post.  

Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs), has not fought since his February 2020 loss to Fury at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, which remains the only blemish on his professional record. He had won 41 fights in a row, all by way of knockout, including notable career victories over Dominic Breazeale, Audley Harrison and Luis Ortiz (twice).

Whyte may finally get his long-awaited title shot if he's able to defeat Wilder first. However, the 35-year-old American is reportedly in discussions to potentially face former unified world champion Andy Ruiz Jr, amid rumours he's still trying to force a third fight with Fury. Boxing fans will have to wait and see what will happen next.