Erkki Pakkanen, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Erkki Pakkanen

boxer

Date of Birth: 19-Apr-1930

Place of Birth: Elimäki, Southern Finland Province, Finland

Date of Death: 23-Apr-1973

Profession: boxer

Nationality: Finland

Zodiac Sign: Aries

Erkki Olavi Pakkanen (19 April 1930 – 23 April 1973) was an amateur lightweight boxer from Finland who won a bronze medal at the 1952 Olympics. Pakkanen took up boxing in 1947 and won the Finnish junior title in 1949.
He never held a senior national title, and qualified for the Helsinki Olympics by winning the Olympic trials.
At the Olympics, he lost in a semifinal to the eventual winner Aureliano Bolognesi.
Earlier in 1950 he seriously injured his right hand.
The injury recurred in 1953 forcing Pakkanen to retire from boxing.
He later ran a taxi company that he founded in 1958.
Shortly after his 43rd birthday, Pakkanen died of a heart attack at a horse racing track while watching his son Jorma competing.
In 2008 he was inducted into the Finnish Boxing Hall of Fame.