The protracted and tortuous negotiations between the respective camps of heavyweight champions Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua are seemingly agonizingly close to completion but there are still some issues to resolve before the fight the world wants to see is finally made.

The latest stumbling block in the long-running saga is that Wilder, according to his manager, is awaiting clarification from Matchroom boss Barry Hearn on two details in the contract before finally putting pen to paper.

Hearn issued the contract to Wilder last week and the fight seemed on the verge of agreement but the American fighter's delay in signing has been of growing concern not only to the Matchroom team but fight fans all over the world anxious to see these two champions putting their belts, reputations and unbeaten records on the line.

However, the American's manager Shelly Finkel has insisted that there are legitimate reasons for the delay in signing up for what would be a historic unification clash, with all four belts being up for grabs for the first time in heavyweight boxing.

The stakes are huge and it seems that Wilder won't be rushed into signing anything without first ironing out all the details of such a megabucks bout.

Nevertheless, Finkel is adamant in insisting the delay was in fact caused by a lack of response from the Joshua side.

"We looked at the contract on Monday and raised two specific details in the paperwork that we needed clarification of," Finkel told World Boxing News.

"It’s frustrating as Eddie Hearn is stating in the media that we need to be quick and sign the contract, but how can we sign if they don’t respond to our email and clarify our concerns?

"If we are being rushed we really need to hear back from Barry in order to be able to complete things on our side."

There has been much finger pointing and posturing from both camps over the last few months with each accusing the other of attempting to duck the fight but hopefully sense will prevail and both parties can sign up for what would be one of the biggest nights in recent boxing history.