Promoter Alexander Krassyuk is earnestly hoping that Tyson Fury emerges unscathed in his high-profile fight against Francis Ngannou.

Fury, the WBC titlist, will be taking on former UFC champion—and boxing neophyte—Ngannou this Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in a 10-round “cross-over” boxing match. Fury’s belt, however, will not be at stake.

Pinned as the prohibitive favorite, Fury must not only defeat Ngannou but also come out of that encounter without incurring any severe injuries if his announced fight with Usyk is to take place on Dec. 23, the reported date for that fight which Fury confirmed earlier this week. A significant cut or injury to Usyk, to say nothing of a loss, would severely waylay these plans.  

Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) and Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) announced their undisputed championship last month.  

Krassyuk, who acts as Usyk’s promoter, described Fury-Usyk as a 50-50 fight.

“We put prayers for Fury not getting injured,” Krassyuk told SecondsOut.com “We gonna put some extra prayers for this.”

“Usyk is a boxer,” Krassyuk continued. “He knows how to put the strategy in action. He knows what to do, how to do, and how to choose the proper time for that. This is a 50-50 fight. A strong man with good technique and high boxing IQ, I mean Tyson, is facing a former Olympic champion, former cruiserweight champion, and the unified heavyweight champion with Olympic background, with tremendous skills in boxing. Very high boxing IQ and huge heart.”

Fury and Usyk were in deep talks for the past year but were repeatedly unable to strike a deal. It was only after Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Entertainment, entered the picture, that both sides were able to come to an agreement. Alalshikh is also responsible for staging Fury vs. Ngannou.