ARNALDO MESA, OLYMPIC SILVER MEDAL WINNER, PASSES AWAY

According to the Associated Press, 1996 Olympian Arnaldo Mesa of Cuba has passed away due to a stroke at the age of 45 or 46. In 1995, Mesa won gold at the Pan Am Games, defeating Diego Corrales. Mesa then represented Cuba in the 1996 Olympics and stopped Zahir Raheem en route to a silver medal in the bantamweight competition. He was denied the gold medal by Hungary's Istvan Kovacs, who went on to claim a WBO title in the pros.  --Scott Shaffer