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.

In his next bout, Cantancio absorbed a 2–3 loss to Nigeria's Christopher Ossai but the jury reversed the verdict and handed the Filipino a 5–0 win and a quarterfinal date with South Korean Chun Chil-sung.

[4] 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[2][5] where he was also named Best Boxer of the tournament.

Drawn against Kostya Tszyu in his opening bout, Cantancio lasted just a round against the hard-hitting Soviet boxer who went on to win multiple world titles in the professional ranks.

On April 20, 2018, while on his way home after attending a boxing tournament in Bacolod, Cantancio lost control of his motorcycle and slammed into an electric post in Barangay Malingin, Bago.