Arnaldo Mesa Bonell (6 December 1967 – 17 December 2012) was an

amateur boxer Amateur boxing is a variant of boxing practiced at the collegiate level, at the Olympic Games, Pan American Games and Commonwealth Games, as well as many associations. Amateur boxing bouts are short in duration, comprising three rounds of three ...

from

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...

, who won the silver medal for his native country at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. In the final of the Bantamweight (– 54 kg) division he was defeated by

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...

's István Kovács. A year earlier, at the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is hel ...

Mar del Plata Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" is a sh ...

, he captured the gold medal in his division. In 1986 he already won the bronze medal at the

1986 World Amateur Boxing Championships The Men's 1986 World Amateur Boxing Championships were held in Reno, United States from May 8 to 18. The fourth edition of this competition, held two years before the Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, was organised by the world governing bo ...

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is th ...

. He died due to a heart attack two weeks after his 45th birthday on 17 December 2012.Cuban Boxing Regrets Death of Arnaldo Mesa
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Olympic results

*Defeated John Larbi (Sweden) 19-5 *Defeated

Zahir Raheem Zahir Raheem (born November 7, 1976 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American boxer. Known as "King Raheem", his current professional record stands at 33 wins, 3 losses with 20 knockouts. After a stellar amateur career, which included a 213- ...

(United States) RSC 1 (2:15) *Defeated Rachid Bouaita (France) 15-8 *Defeated

Raimkul Malakhbekov Raimkul Khudoynazarovich Malakhbekov (russian: Раимкуль Худойназарович Малахбеков; born 16 August 1974 in Dushanbe, Tajik SSR) is one of highest titled boxers of Russia, who won two Olympic medals in the Men's Bant ...

(Russia) 14-14 (referee's decision) *Lost to István Kovács (Hungary) 7-14

References

databaseOlympics.com
*
1967 births 2012 deaths Bantamweight boxers Boxers at the 1991 Pan American Games Boxers at the 1995 Pan American Games Boxers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Olympic boxers of Cuba Olympic silver medalists for Cuba Olympic medalists in boxing Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Cuban male boxers AIBA World Boxing Championships medalists Pan American Games gold medalists for Cuba Pan American Games medalists in boxing Medalists at the 1991 Pan American Games People from Holguín 20th-century Cuban people {{Cuba-Olympic-medalist-stub