Boxing negotiations are one of the most complex in all of sport.

Claim and counter claim are put forward, and quite often, both negotiating parties use the press to get their point across to the other side.

The touted fight between Anthony Joshua and fellow unbeaten heavyweight and WBO champion New Zealander Joseph Parker looked close to fruition.

Just last week Eddie Hearn was talking about Parker's promoter David Higgins imminently flying on to seal the deal.

However, in the last few days, a roadblock has emerged.

Higgins said the Parker promotional team had negotiated in good faith offering a 35-65 split in favour of Joshua.

However, that was rejected by the Joshua camp leading to the current stalemate.

Sky Sports reported Higgins as saying: "We started at what we thought was a fair ratio, and then a concession was given on our side.

"The truth is we were getting pretty close, and then there was talk of me going to London, but I made it clear I won't unless there was a concession on the Joshua side.

"Frankly we thought there would be, but no, it's been signalled there won't be. As far as we're concerned, that's it for now. I won't be boarding a plane until we are closer."

Joshua has recently discussed his legacy in the sport, saying that he wants to leave a mark for others to follow.

He has mentioned the names of sporting legends like Muhammad Ali and Roger Federer as athletes he would love to follow in the same path of.

In a quote which raised some eyebrows in the Parker camp, Joshua said: "If I want to be considered like these guys (Ali and Federer), I have to carry myself the right way."

Higgins has called on Joshua to back up his words with actions.

"If Anthony says he wants to be the Roger Federer of boxing, can you imagine Roger Federer saying I want to win all the Grand Slams, but I won't play Wimbledon unless I get an extra three per cent?

"Can you imagine Muhammad Ali and Lennox Lewis dodging unification because 65 per cent of profit is not enough?"

In a damning assessment of where things currently stand, Higgins described Joshua of being "all hot air" and said his camp was "losing patience."

It would be a great shame for the sport to lose a fight of this stature, especially when they have combined record of 44-0 with 38 KOs

Always expect the unexpected in boxing, and you feel there are more twists and turns in this ongoing saga.