Tyson Fury insists that prior to the Deontay Wilder showdown, he “worked non-stop to improve my boxing”.

Tyson and a few members of the team spent one of those long pre-fight evenings sitting down for a game of poker in his new mansion.

“Right here,” the Champion shouted, slapping one of those meat cleavers on a pretty table among the classic works of art in a cavernous kitchen.

Then he roared with laughter. Whatever the game, Tyson Fury is playing as hard as he wants against Deontay Wilder in her trilogy world heavyweight title bout here on Saturday night.

So did the cards fall on him as sweetly as he expected to crash America’s bronze bomber again?

“I just have to win everything,†he says with a smile as wide as the driveway. ‘Not true?’

Well, he usually does. Still undefeated. Still world heavyweight champion. Still, he wasn’t quite his way of dealing with the cards, as he did when he wiped out Wilder in their first rematch.

“It was a six-player poker tournament,” he says. “The winner takes everything, £ 20 each. It came down to the last two of us. I was the leading chip holder, but the game dragged on. So I said let’s decide who will draw the highest single card.

“I went first. Ouch. Cut a five. Was afraid that for once I would be second best. Then, bang, a three came out. I thought “wow”. I couldn’t believe I won with a five. You certainly wouldn’t win with a five at any casino on the Strip. High fives all around! ‘

The Gypsy King was locked up in a luxury training base before his second rematch

33-year-old Fury isn’t afraid to take part and takes out the containers with his team between poker games

Fury says he and his family are making progress after nearly losing their sixth child (pictured with wife Paris Fury).

Not that his £ 120 profit would go to his head: “I’m putting the money away to take home and put in my savings account.”

Even so, he came out of the house at dawn the next morning and carried large garbage cans. Does the champion make a habit of taking out the trash? “Hey,” he says. “I have six children, so of course I do.”

Then he runs with his brothers and coaches through the luxury property, the entrance of which is guarded by two heavily manned iron gates. Some wealthy neighbors let him jog on the spot while he signs autographs. The people next door are walking the dog and he stops to make a smile of it.

A paramedic from the local clinic arrives and he stands in the warm sunshine while doing the latest Covid test on himself: “I have to do it because my nose has been broken so many times in fights that no one else can maneuver the stick in”. ‘

The result would be negative. Not to his surprise. He caused a stir by postponing a second vaccination – “because I don’t want to go into the ring feeling weak or anything” – but he is confident that there will be no repeat of the July postponement of this fight with Wilder because his coronavirus infection. Confident that he is now full of antigens, he says, “I actually didn’t have Covid once, but twice.”

Fury regularly conducts Covid tests after testing positive to force the fight to be postponed

The British star stops to pet a dog while out and about with his brothers and trainers

Even so, he takes stricter precautions. The team has been reduced to five people who live in the large house, with three more living in a rented property nearby. He adds, “We also keep the bladder safe by keeping the gym under lock and key and not letting anyone else in while we’re there.”

Then it goes back to his home. Although he says, “This house is not a home right now. It is a basis for my work. Home is where the family is and they are not here. ‘

Not beautiful Paris. None of the six children. They are back in Morecambe after losing the grief of almost losing their new baby daughter in childbirth.

Fury says, “If you are told your child is dead, it is trauma. We have now moved on thanks to these great nurses and doctors who saved them. We always like to look ahead, not back. ‘

So on to Fury-Wilder III. He says, “I don’t take anyone for granted. Some people write off Deontay because the last time I crushed him in seven rounds. Not me. He’s still my most dangerous opponent. There are some good boxers out there, but with Wilder’s strength I know I’m playing around with an atomic bomb.

Fury’s trilogy fight with Wilder took a long time due to twists and turns

“If it strikes properly with just one blow, it can be a disaster for anyone. Trauma in the ring. I felt it when he knocked me down in our first fight. ‘

In that amazing final round of a controversial tie, Fury was barely conscious to end the fight.

If you ask him how he did it, he says, “You have to have courage to be successful in boxing. Sheer courage. There will be moments when it’s not how much you get hit, it’s how much you can take. I’ve taken a lot in my life. That’s why I trained for this one like Rocky in the movie.

‘No man could have done more. The toughest sparring. Eat only the best foods – vegetables, fruits, fish, meat, vitamins, minerals. ‘

The Gypsy King destroyed his American rival 20 months ago and wants to emulate this achievement

However, Fury is well aware of the threat posed by the heavy hitting bronze bomber (above)

To combat the arid atmosphere of the Nevada desert, it also dumps amazing amounts of water. “Well over a gallon a day,” he says. “Hydration is a crucial key to performance. Your body is made up of 75 percent water. And I have a big body. Must keep pouring. One percent dehydration corresponds to a 20 percent drop in performance. It’s hard to drink that much. You have to keep running to relieve yourself. ‘

Fortunately, there are many bathrooms in this Catholic father’s house. Also a lot of dedication. He says: “Everything that is worthwhile becomes difficult. If success were as easy as getting drunk, everyone would be successful. But that’s not how the world works. You have to be very determined to win. To be sure of winning, you have to be able to do things that others don’t. And with me there is always a surprise. ‘

So what does he have up his sleeve for Wilder? He says, “Deontay will face a Tyson Fury who is 30 to 40 cents better than the Tyson Fury who ran over him in the last fight. I didn’t waste our 20 months outside the ring.

“I’ve been working non-stop to improve my boxing, my footwork, my jab. Everything. I’ve been an elite fighter for years, but I’ve used the break to move up to an even higher level.

The Gypsy King recalls being defeated by Fury in the 12th round of his first fight in 2018

The 33-year-old (right) says he is in great shape and insists that no corners have been cut

“I’m sure Deontay tried hard to improve too. He has a new coach and wants to get better. But while he will also have the biggest punch in the world, I can’t really see how he can make that much difference to his basic boxing. I hope he is better. I hope he can give me a bigger challenge because we don’t want another shot.

“I love boxing and we all want good fights. However, if we both have improved, the result should be the same. I break it down and smash it again. Just faster. ‘

He’s now ready to play the great entertainer: “I like the fight week circus. The structure. The fair. Let the games begin.’

So is Fury going to have high fives again on this fabled strip? Don’t bet against it. According to the bookmakers here, The Gypsy King still rules on Sunday morning.

Fury vs. Wilder will be broadcast live at the BT Sport Box Office late on Saturday evening.