Luis Ortiz fails drug test ahead of Deontay Wilder bout

A scheduled November showdown between Luis Ortiz and Deontay Wilder has been canceled after Ortiz failed a drug test.

World Boxing Council president Mauricio Sulaiman revealed Ortiz's positive test, and promoter Lou DiBella told ESPN the fight is off.

Ortiz had been due to step into the ring to face WBC champion Wilder at the Barclays Center in Brookyln on Nov. 11.

"I'm flabbergasted and particularly crestfallen for my fighter," DiBella told ESPN. "Deontay Wilder is a great champion and a clean champion and probably has been victimized more than any other fighter in the history of the sport."

There has been talk of a unification fight between the winner of the eagerly anticipated bout in New York and Anthony Joshua if the Briton beats Kubrat Pulev.

Ortiz, nicknamed King Kong, was suspended after testing positive for Nandrolone in 2014, but returned to extend his perfect record to 27 victories.