The craziest trilogy in combat sports history came when bitter rivals Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank Sr trained as gladiators then fought with swords, shields and maces in front of a barking crowd.
The contest ended in beatings, bloodshed and a surprise surrender. The premise behind this frankly bonkers reality TV show was simple: Britain’s fiercest boxing rivalry – continued in 2022 by the duo’s sons – needed a third chapter. The first fight saw Eubank come off the canvas to stop Benn in a war in 1990, the second was a controversial draw in a crowded Old Trafford.
With 18 million people watching Benn-Eubank II on UK TV, a third fight looked nailed down but was never quite signed. “We spent three bloody years talking, but Chris is impossible,” Benn lamented.
Enter Channel 5 in 2003, a decade after the rematch, to mount ‘Gladiator: Benn v Eubank’ where the ex-boxers would reunite in Rome, toil through five days of training while competing in a series of challenges – then have the chance to fight with ancient weapons.
Inevitably, reality TV got a little too real as everything blew up between them. The first slice of madness was that the pair were given gladiator names – Maximo for Eubank, Eracido for Benn – a bit odd considering Channel 5 shelled out ringing cash probably because everyone knows who Eubank are and Benn, to immediately change their names.
Still, it gave us a chance to hear Eubank look into his rival’s eyes and declare – with complete sincerity – “Nothing Eradico personal, but on this particular discipline, I’ll wipe the floor with you.” The public was therefore the real winner.
The opening credits saw a man in full Russell Crowe gear confronting his rival with a trident – Brick Tamland style – which might have set the bar for violence a bit high, even for this pair. An introduction to the duo’s current life follows: Eubank lord of the manor in Hove, Benn with his family in Mallorca – with a guest appearance from six-year-old Conor Benn, ghost boxing with his father.
Under the unforgiving sun of Ostia Antica Gladiator Camp in Italy, however, things got tough. The two men were each assigned an instructor, both ex-army, and it became clear they were going to take this differently. Benn, who boxed for the first time in the military, reveled in the hard-fought graft.
Eubank found it trickier and worked his way through a series of punishments before timidly announcing, “To take orders from unfulfilled men is very difficult.”
The two coaches, along with head Gladiator coach Procerus (real name: Ray), attempted to debunk that insult by recounting their actual battles as gatekeepers. But frankly, throwing in a few drunks doesn’t really compare to going 12 brutal rounds in a world title fight, so let’s score that one a moral victory for Eubank (sorry, ‘Maximo’).
Still, it was Benn who took on the swordplay fastest, winning the first endurance challenge. The tension erupted on the second day, however, when the pair were chained and tasked with protecting each other’s backs with a shield (a challenge titled “Defend Your Enemy”).
Eubank won and couldn’t help but insist. No disrespect,” he said disrespectfully, before adding that they should bring boxing gloves tomorrow and “do a little session.”
A flustered Benn replied, “We don’t have to bring gloves”, before shoving Eubank hard in the chest. Cue the pair’s coaches and managers immediately rushed into the fray to try and separate the two surly ex-champions as they rushed to tackle each other. Eubank finally held out the hand of friendship – a trick so he could push Nigel away – and it all started again.
“He started, but I’ll finish him,” Eubank shouted, as Benn wore his old pre-fight look that had reduced grown men to puddles. A change of plan meant the pair trained separately on day three before a challenge – spear throwing – was won by Eubank, whose accuracy had not let him down.
But it was becoming clear that Benn had taken the project a bit more seriously beforehand. The ‘Dark Destroyer’ had spent several months in training, and while Eubank sported his usual six-pack, he was beginning to think he had underestimated the task at hand.
“I came here cold, expecting to do some sort of TV project,” he said. “Recite some poetry, a few poses – but it was pretty brutal.”
Benn won the final two challenges – hanging from two ropes (the producers were clearly out of ideas at this point) and an obstacle course – to win the challenges 3-2. Yet, it simply earned him the right to emerge second when the two engaged in actual combat. Fight in three rounds in a Roman amphitheater: first with sword and shield, then with mace, then Greco-Roman wrestling.
Round one saw Benn come out like a London-born Maximus Decimus Meridius, spinning on his old foe and slamming him on the bonce. Eubank got a few licks and we saw one of his classic moves (the Eubank clinch!) but it was clear that Benn – the crowd favorite as usual – had it all figured out better.
“I’m going for the neck, the jugular, all the vital parts,” Benn said after the first round. Meanwhile, Eubank, cut through the eye and over the lip, assessed: “That’s not a kitty in there playing games. Look at me, that’s not fake blood.
Round two brought no respite for Eubank as Benn hit him with a blunt mace, showing no mercy when ‘Simply the Best’ went down on all fours. Eubank fired the final shot, hitting his nemesis on the head, but it looked like another trick from Benn.
At this point, Eubank – calculating that wrestling with his fit and fired up opponent wasn’t a smart move – got a doctor’s note explaining that his cuts and injuries sustained in training (a sprained wrist and a shaken neck ) meant he had to concede in gentlemanly fashion.
Benn received a wooden sword for his victory (probably even more prestigious than half the boxing belts) and said, “Now I know what victory looks like. Just a little! But it’s good.”
Eubank was gracious in defeat, while adding that Nigel’s intensive preparation made the difference, feeling that the producers hadn’t fully explained to him how grueling the experience would be. Then he challenged Benn for a rematch. Sure.
But despite their needle and competitive shooting, what “Gladiator: Benn v Eubank” also warmly captured was their budding bond. Like brothers at war, when the two weren’t threatening each other, they exchanged hugs, handshakes and compliments.
When Chris was asked what the highlight of the experience was, he said, “I’ve gotten to know Eradico better here over the past few days.” After the win, Benn admitted: “Me and Chris have a long history together, both being world champions – and it was great to see him again.”
Whether this friendship, born of two classic boxing fights — and one bizarre cosplay fight — can survive their two sons trading punches is another thing altogether. But isn’t “Gladiator: Benn vs. Eubank” fun? We certainly were.
A real rivalry… 🔥 pic.twitter.com/sALKI4vVoK
— Rob Tebbutt (@RobTebbutt) July 13, 2022