Erich CAMPE

Erich Campe won the silver medal in welterweight after a controversial defeat on points in the final against the American [Eddie Flynn] (/athletes/8667). As the best-placed European, this made him European Champion. He was German champion in this class in 1932 and 1934 but was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the 1934 European Championships welterweight. Campe was a toolmaker and worked as scaffolder. In 1932 he graduated from the police academy in Brandenburg and made it to the rank of a sergeant-major. By 1941, he had competed in 400 fights, before he became a coach in the police academy.

In 1939 he became a co-owner of a restaurant in Berlin-Heinersdorf. In 1945 he turned professional, but became increasingly addicted to alcohol. In a not very successful professional career, he lost two fights for German titles. He had his last fight in 1949 as a light-heavyweight, retiring with a professional record of 5 wins, 7 losses, and 5 draws. His social decline then took place: he became a bouncer in a nightclub, then a transport worker, and finally a night watchman in a large-scale catering establishment.