Former world champion boxer Chris Eubank is stepping back into the ring with his old adversary, The Dark Destroyer Nigel Benn.

This time the two former middleweight champions will be going back in time to fight each other as gladiators.

The two boxers will fly out to Rome tomorrow to train as gladiators at the Centro Storico Romano, the world's only modern gladiator school.

They will eat, sleep and train like gladiators for a week before going head-to-head in an amphitheatre near Rome for a new TV series.

They have a long history of battle between them. On November 18, 1990, at the Birmingham NEC, Eubank took a ninth round victory over Benn to win the WBO middleweight crown. Benn had only lost once previously, to Michael Watson.

It has been a few years since the champion boxers took to the ring. These days they are more likely to be found on the television.

Eubank is currently filming an Osbourne-style fly-on-the-wall series, At Home With The Eubanks, while Benn was recently a contestant in the first series of I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here.

However, when the pair face each other in the ring this time they will arm themselves with Roman weapons, including short swords, tridents, nets and daggers in a bid to be crowned supreme warrior.

The overall result will depend on how much and how well each fighter has honed their gladiat-orial skills over the week.

Flamboyant Eubank, who lives in Hove, said: "I am a modern day warrior and relish the chance to return to combat's noble roots by training as a gladiator in Rome.

"Benn and I have waited a long time to rekindle our famous duels and finally prove, once and for all, who is the greatest."

But Benn is not on the canvas yet. He said: "I'm taking this contest very seriously, it's a good excuse to get back into fighting condition.

"I thrive on challenges and there's no bigger challenge than duelling with my old foe Eubank."

Channel Five, has commissioned Cele-brity Gladiator, a documentary which will follow the fierce rivals right through to battle.

The documentary will be shown later in the year.