A NORTH-EAST artist has painted a thought-provoking piece ahead of a hotly-anticipated world title fight.

Terry Kneeshaw, from Darlington, has created a version of how he sees the bout between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquaio unfolding.

The fight takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, in Las Vegas, on Saturday (May 2) evening.

The water colour painting shows Pacquaio throwing a hefty uppercut towards Mayweather, who looks to be slipping away from it in his infamous evading style.

The angle it has been painted from is as if you were stood next to ring, looking up at the boxers.

The MGM Grand ring rope is stretched across the centre of the painting with the top of the painting showing the ring lights and metal bars.

Mr Kneeshaw said: “My sons said I should paint something to do with sports and the upcoming fight, so I painted my interpretation of the fight.”

He believes that although Pacquaio will fight on the front foot Mayweather will take it on points.

“I think Pacquaio will fight with pure aggression, constantly coming at Mayweather, but the slippery genius won’t let him land a shot,” he said.

Former British Commonwealth and IBF Bantamweight world champion Stuart Hall, from Darlington, said: “It’s a really great painting; it really shows the intensity of being in the ring.

“It’s a really nice piece, I think it does capture how Pacquaio will gill give him trouble in the first few rounds but once Mayweather finds his flow, Pacquaio will have some trouble. Mayweather will end up taking it on points."