Canelo wins close bout over Lara in classic

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez narrowly outpointed Erislandy Lara in a 12-round classic on Saturday night to take the WBC and vacant Ring magazine super welterweight titles.

The 23-year-old Alvarez (43-1-1, 31 knockouts) was the aggressor for most of the fight, but the 34-year-old Lara (19-2-2, 12 KOs) made him work for every round.

Alvarez controlled the action in the early rounds with his jab and hooks, but Lara began to land some hard counters in the late rounds.

In the end, two judges scored it 115-113 for Alvarez, while the third had it 114-114. The Associated Press also scored it 115-113 for Alvarez.

Mayweather legacy secure after easy win over Pacquiao

No one will ever doubt the greatness of Floyd Mayweather Jr. again.

Mayweather was very much the alpha male in the ring against Manny Pacquiao as he easily won their welterweight unification bout on Saturday night before a sellout crowd of 16,507 at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

From the opening bell, Mayweather toyed with Pacquiao, landing at will while barely getting hit himself. With little resistance, Mayweather cruised to a unanimous decision by scores of 118-110, 116-112 and 116-112.

The victory not only cements Mayweather's legacy as one of the greatest boxers of all time, but it probably should also earn him Fighter of the Year honors from most organizations. It was that dominant a performance.

"Manny Pacquiao is a great champion and I take my hat off to him," Mayweather said. "He's had a great career."

Mayweather was almost too good for his own good as he made it look too easy against an opponent who is considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. The victory also gives Mayweather a World Boxing Council (WBC), World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) title belt in his fourth weight class.

It was clearly not the fight fans were hoping for as they wanted to see an epic battle between two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. But Mayweather was simply too fast and too smart for Pacquiao, who never seemed to be able to get into any kind of groove.

"I thought I fought well but Floyd was just very clever," Pacquiao said afterward through an interpreter. "I got hit by some shots that I didn't see."

That may be an understatement as Mayweather seemingly controlled every facet of the fight while landing some powerful shots when he chose to do so. In fact, according to Compubox stats, Mayweather outlandedPacquiao 17 punches to 2 in jabs and 67 punches to 38 power shots. That's dominance personified.

Barcelona complete historic treble with 5-1 victory over Juventus

LUIS SUAREZ snatched a late winner as Barcelona completed a historic treble with a 5-1 victory over Juventus in the Champions League final on Saturday.

With his team trailing 1-0 to an early Mario Mandzukic goal, Andres Iniesta equalized in the first half before Neymar put the Catalans ahead in the second.

Gianluigi Buffon's red card for a foul on Neymar allowed Lionel Messi to score from the penalty spot, making it 4-1. Suarez then came off the bench to score in injury time and hand Barca their fifth European Cup.

In doing so, they became the first club ever to win the treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League twice, following their success in 2009.

"It's a dream come true," Suarez said. "It's incredible -- I don't have words for it."

Barca coach Luis Enrique said: "To do what we've done fills me with happiness and pride." Juventus had started well and taken the lead in the first minute when Mandzukic headed home from close range after Giorgio Chiellini had flicked on a corner. But Barcelona gradually took control and equalized in the 27th minute when Iniesta finished calmly after being teed up by Neymar. Neymar put Barcelona ahead in the 69th minute, curling an exquisite shot into the top-left corner from outside of the area after being fed by Dani Alves. Buffon was then sent off four minutes later for bringing down Neymar as he attempted to take a quick free kick, leaving Messi to score his 59th goal of this season from the penalty spot. Suarez scored his 10th goal of this Champions League campaign in stoppage time to complete an incredible comeback win. (Agence France-Presse)

Germany crowned world champions for fourth time

Germany have been crowned world champions for the fourth time after a 1-0 win over Argentina in the final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Mario Gotze's volley in the 113th minute was enough to separate the two sides and hand Germany their first World Cup title in 24 years.

It was a tight contest throughout, with Argentina looking the more dangerous of the two sides in the first half. However, Germany gradually took control of proceedings as the match went on, and they deservedly got their reward with a late winner.

Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero was one of the standout players for his side, making several important saves, but he was ultimately beaten by Gotze's well-struck volley.

Veteran midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger was named man of the match for Germany, while Lionel Messi had a disappointing game for Argentina, failing to make an impact.

The result means that Germany are now joint-second with Italy in terms of World Cup titles, behind Brazil who have won five times.

Messi announces international retirement

Lionel Messi, the greatest player of his generation, announced his retirement from international football on Sunday after Argentina were comprehensively beaten 4-2 by Chile in the Copa America final.

The 29-year-old has made 58 appearances for Argentina, scoring an astonishing 41 goals and registering 22 assists. But after successive defeats in the final of major tournaments - the 2014 World Cup and now the Copa America - Messi has decided enough is enough.

"It's over. I've exhausted all my options. I've failed mentally," he said in a tearful press conference. "It hurts too much to keep on going."

Messi's decision is a hammer blow for both Argentina and world football as a whole. There is no doubt that he is one of the most gifted players ever to have graced the game and his absence will be sorely felt at both international level and in the Champions League, where he has been so impressive for Barcelona.

But despite his enormous talent, Messi has always been dogged by accusations that he doesn't perform for his country when it matters most. And with Diego Maradona - a man who knows all about delivering on the big stage - ever ready to pounce on any sign of weakness, Messi must have felt under constant pressure to deliver.

In truth, however, he can hardly be blamed for Argentina's latest failures. At this year's Copa America, they were without their injured captain and leader Javier Mascherano for long periods and also lost Angel Di Maria to injury in the semifinal against United States. Up against a strong and well-drilled Chilean side, they were simply outplayed on Sunday evening.

Messi's international retirement will come as a huge shock to many but it may not be the end of his career with Argentina just yet. After all, there is still time for him to change his mind - as Diego Maradona himself did back in 1994 before returning to lead his country to victory at the World Cup later that year.