Leopoldo Cantancio

Leopoldo Cantancio (July 6, 1963 – April 20, 2018) was a Filipino boxer who competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics and 1988 Summer Olympics. He won a silver medal at the 1986 Asian Games and a bronze medal at the 1990 Asian Games , and was a two-time gold medalist in the Asian Amateur Boxing Championships.

Career

Cantancio was just 18 years old when he won a bronze medal in the bantamweight division at the 1981 Southeast Asian Games held in Manila. The Bago native took part at the 1982 AIBA World Amateur Championships and was eliminated in the Round of 16.

Cantancio finally tasted success at the 1983 Southeast Asian Games in Singapore when he won the gold medal in the featherweight division. Later that year, he claimed the gold medal in his weight class at the Asian Amateur Boxing Championships in Naha after defeating South Korean Lee Choon-kil in the final.

Against Chun, Cantancio dictated the tempo of the fight before being knocked down by a left hook on the jaw and was counted out halfway through the third and final round. It was a devastating result as a win would’ve guaranteed the Filipino a bronze medal.

Cantancio resumed his career after his heartbreaking Olympic stint in Los Angeles and won a gold medal in the lightweight division at the 1985 Asian Amateur Boxing Championships in Bangkok where he was also named Best Boxer of the tournament.

At the 1986 Asian Games, Cantancio secured a silver medal after losing to hometown bet Kwon Hyun-kyu in the final. Cantancio had just filed his certificate of candidacy as kagawad at the time of the accident.

Legacy

Although Cantancio never won any medals at the Olympics Games or AIBA World Boxing Championships, he was successful in getting many podium finishes in regional championships and hence became one of the important Filipino amateur boxers in that era.