By Ben Dirs

SPARTACUS v LANSDOWNE Highlights, Grandstand, BBC One, Saturday, 1430

Back in 71 BC, the gladiator Spartacus built a handful of followers into a mob of over 120,000 and challenged the might of Rome before being cut down by General Marcus Licinius Crassus.

Ipswich's Steve Spartacus commanded audiences of 200 in his amateur days, but could well be filling arenas in the not too distant future.

The 27-year-old comfortably saw off Leicester's Scott Lansdowne to claim the inaugural English light-heavyweight title on Thursday night at Bethnal Green's fusty York Hall.

As well as building a reputation as one of Britain's most promising fighters, Spartacus has gained notoriety for flamboyance beyond the call of duty.

"My real name's Smith, but at the moment there are four Steve Smiths so I had to change my name," explains the Suffolk banger.

"For a laugh, I went to see a medium in Norfolk and she told me I was a gladiator in a past life, so I decided to call myself Spartacus.

You've got to do something to make yourself a little bit different and capture the TV audience Steve Spartacus

"I come out in all the armour and try to make boxing a little bit more like wrestling - boxing needs more characters.

"I used to just wear a chest plate but now the BBC have got me some more gear from their wardrobe and on Thursday there'll be three guys dressed up in Roman outfits walking me to the ring.

"Nowadays you've got to do something to make yourself a little bit different to capture the TV market."

The danger with fighters with a bent for theatre is that observers are keen to write them off before seeing them in action.

But Spartacus, undefeated in 15 pro encounters, seems to have the trousers, indeed the skirt, to go with the mouth.

"When you first come along they say, 'it's just a gimmick, he can't fight', but people are slowly realising that I can and people now know I'm for real.

Clinton Woods is a possible target

"Perhaps I could go for Peter Oboe's British title - but I'd like to have a crack at European champion Stipe Drew's first.

"I regularly spar with Clinton Woods, and although he's a nice guy with good people around him, it's definitely a fight waiting to be made."

Meanwhile, Spartacus was forced to do battle on two fronts on Thursday night.

Lansdowne entered the ring to the strains of UK garage outfit Heartless Crew, a development which left Spartacus unfazed.

"Lansdowne could have had Michael Jackson singing him into the ring and I still would have won - when the bell goes, all that stuff counts for nothing.

"What I want to know is, if the Heartless Crew sang him into the ring, who carried him out of it?"