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Byline: GREG BEACHAM, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LOS ANGELES -- Kobe Bryant is down to one last shot, and everybody knows he's going to take it. After two decades spent dazzling [...]

LAS VEGAS -- A sliver of sunshiny optimism has slipped through the cloud of frustration under which Paul Williams has boxed for several years. After a remarkably one-sided victory over [...]

Unbeaten welterweight Floyd Mayweather Jr. announced his retirement again Friday, with boxing's unofficial pound-for-pound king saying he no longer has the passion necessary to fight. Mayweather, the WBC welterweight champion, [...]

LAS VEGAS Joe Calzaghe's American adventure ended the way any European tourist's first junket to Vegas should with a headache, exhaustion, indelible memories and a wallet full of cash. The [...]

LAS VEGAS Joe Calzaghe didn't stop punching after a terrible start against Bernard Hopkins, and now the Pride of Wales is the best light heavyweight in the world. Calzaghe won [...]

CANCUN, Mexico When Samuel Peter stepped onto the polished marble in his upscale hotel's lobby late Saturday night, he looked more like a vacationing millionaire than the heavyweight champion of [...]

NEW YORK Wladimir Klitschko still thinks he's the man to fix heavyweight boxing, yet his victory over Sultan Ibragimov was a prime example of why it's broken. The monstrous Ukrainian [...]

LAS VEGAS Kelly Pavlik proved his superiority and fattened his bank account with a second victory over Jermain Taylor. Now this frugal people's champion finally is ready to go shopping [...]

NEW YORK Roy Jones Jr. defiantly wore a gilded crown into a ring surrounded by hostile fans of a Puerto Rican hero. He then taunted Felix Trinidad, waggling his chin [...]

LAS VEGAS If Floyd Mayweather's welterweight title bout with Ricky Hatton late Saturday night was half as good as the weigh-in, boxing fans witnessed a remarkable finish to a strong [...]

LAS VEGAS Jeff Lacy fought through a cut and a difficult matchup to win a narrow unanimous decision over Peter Manfredo Jr. on Saturday night on the undercard of Floyd [...]

LAS VEGAS If Floyd Mayweather's WBC welterweight title bout with Ricky Hatton tonight is half as good as the weigh-in, boxing fans are in for a remarkable finish to a [...]

SEATTLE The wind died down and the driving rains stayed away, so the Seattle Seahawks poured it on the 49ers instead. Matt Hasselbeck passed for 278 yards and two touchdowns, [...]

SEATTLE At countless moments during his first three seasons running the San Francisco 49ers, Mike Nolan has wondered what his father would do. Whether facing a player's defiance, a personnel [...]

LAS VEGAS Bernard Hopkins told everyone who would listen that he had a foolproof plan for getting inside Winky Wright's impenetrable defense. Hopkins claims that plan didn't include a timely [...]

SAN FRANCISCO With Barry Bonds sitting out, this derby was dry and Vladimir Guerrero was San Francisco's home run king for a day. The Los Angeles Angels' slugger won the [...]

Rod Beck, an All-Star relief pitcher who wore a bushy mustache while earning 286 career saves, has died. He was 38. Beck was found Saturday by police officers responding to [...]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. Reggie Theus scored the first basket in the history of the Sacramento Kings nearly 22 years ago and the club put the ball back in his hands Wednesday. [...]

LAS VEGAS Floyd Mayweather Jr. had been looking forward to Sunday morning for months. He was confident he would wake up that day as an unbeaten, retired champion who could [...]

SAN JOSE, Calif. Ron Wilson's golf shirt wasn't the sharpest wardrobe choice for a hockey coach whose club is one more collapse away from summer vacation. Most teams spend this [...]

LAS VEGAS Floyd Mayweather Jr. hadn't stopped talking since he signed up for the one thing he really wanted, a megafight with Oscar De La Hoya that put boxing back [...]

SAN JOSE, Calif. Arron Afflalo will get a second chance to shine in the Final Four and he earned it by seizing the spotlight when UCLA most needed its leader. [...]

SAN JOSE, Calif. Kansas' run through the NCAA tournament was slowed to a crawl by scrappy Southern Illinois. The Jayhawks got up just in time to move to the brink [...]

HONOLULU Tiki Barber said his final goodbye to football Saturday by doing the usual scoring a touchdown and the unusual throwing a pass. On a day when his NFC team [...]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. The WNBA Finals have been unpredictable at almost every turn, so there's probably no point in prognostication about the decisive fifth game in Detroit on Saturday. That didn't [...]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. The Detroit Shock were far from finished, and they sent the WNBA Finals to a decisive Game 5. Katie Smith scored 22 points, Cheryl Ford had 13 points [...]

When Yolanda Griffith kicked a water cooler and stalked out of practice late in the season, Sacramento Monarchs coach John Whisenant fined her yet he seemed secretly pleased. Perhaps that's [...]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. Erin Buescher just hoped to catch some iron with her awkward fling at the basket, yet her three-pointer beat the shot clock near the end of the third [...]

LAS VEGAS Dwyane Wade had plenty of time to get to know LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony two years ago. They spent the summer together in Greece and U.S. Olympic [...]

LAS VEGAS The left hook epitomized everything that's thrilling about Sugar Shane Mosley speed, creativity and a dazzling flair for the dramatic. That near-perfect punch dropped Fernando Vargas to the [...]

DALLAS The Mavericks left home last week with two wins and a Texas-sized swagger. They staggered back Monday morning after three losses to the Miami Heat, teetering on the brink [...]

DALLAS More Shaq. More Rileyball. A whole lot less finesse. Those are the big ideas in the Miami Heat's plan for Game 2 of the NBA Finals tonight. If coach [...]

DALLAS Dirk Nowitzki sputtered and struggled in his first NBA Finals game, so the Dallas Mavericks hitched a ride on the Jet to claim the opener. Jason Terry stole the [...]

LAS VEGAS Oscar De La Hoya went into the ring Saturday night knowing he might be only a few minutes away from the end of his lucrative career. He left [...]

LAS VEGAS The Golden Boy still has the luster. Oscar De La Hoya made an impressive return to the ring after a 20-month absence, emphatically stopping Ricardo Mayorga in the [...]

Ricardo Mayorga smokes cigarettes in the ring after particularly satisfying victories. 'El Matador' wears a bullfighting outfit before his fights, and he revels in insulting his opponents' families, challenging their [...]

LAS VEGAS Floyd Mayweather Jr. prides himself on being a gentleman boxer, and the world's best pound-for-pound fighter kept that reputation intact while winning the IBF welterweight title Saturday night. [...]

LAS VEGAS Floyd Mayweather Jr. is becoming a polished corporate athlete, landing sponsorship deals and enjoying the millionaire life. He woos the media and still trains with the ferocity that's [...]

TURIN, Italy The U.S. women's hockey players gathered in a circle at center ice, raised their sticks and waved them to their fans in one sweeping arc over their heads. [...]

SAN FRANCISCO - Although a whole new bunch of players and coaches are wearing Utah red, these Utes still can put on a phenomenal postseason show. Travis LaTendresse caught 16 [...]

SAN FRANCISCO - Cody Pickett led his first NFL scoring drive a few moments after tackling a punt returner, and the 49ers snapped a five-game losing streak with a 15-10 [...]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Yolanda Griffith has played in pro basketball leagues around the world. She has earned her peers' respect, two Olympic gold medals and plenty of money to support [...]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - After waiting for a championship since the WNBA's founding season, the Sacramento Monarchs finally won it all in style - their own hard-nosed, defense-first style. Yolanda Griffith [...]

SAN FRANCISCO - Coach Mike Nolan promised a new look and a better attitude. His 49ers came through in his debut Sunday, when the NFL's worst team in 2004 looked [...]

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Less than 48 hours after their teammate collapsed and died, the San Francisco 49ers went back to work. The team held a light afternoon practice Monday, [...]

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Thomas Herrion's locker stands next to the door leading to the San Francisco 49ers' practice fields. Every player walked past him every day, and the beefy [...]

OAKLAND, Calif. - Tim Brown signed a one-day contract and retired with the Oakland Raiders on Monday, gracefully ending his 17-year career as one of the NFL's most prolific receivers. [...]

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Manu Ginobili left Game 3 of the NBA Finals covered in bruises, from his leg to his pride. Luckily for the San Antonio Spurs, the Argentine [...]

SAN ANTONIO - Robert Horry knows he probably could have been a better player during the first 47 minutes of most games in his career. He could have scored more [...]

HONOLULU - Peyton Manning finished his prolific season at the Pro Bowl with more of the same: another bunch of touchdown passes, another record and another award. And another win [...]