ABOVE & BEYOUND » Olympic gold medalist Zou Shiming last year.The

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Amnat Ruenroeng speaks openly, even eagerly, about his years in a Thai prison.His path out of poverty, crime and drug addiction began in a cell. He wants it to end in an Olympic ring with a medal around his neck, and he was willing to return from the pro ranks to try for that storybook ending again.There are some good parts of being in prison, Ruenroeng said through a translator. You get discipline. You learn how to know whats right and whats wrong. In the prison, they provide education, and they have boxing, football and martial arts. Im good at boxing.Eight years after Ruenroeng fell just short of a medal in Beijing, the 36-year-old former IBF flyweight champion got his second Olympics off to another winning start Sunday night.Fighting 11 kilograms above his professional weight after qualifying for the games just one month earlier, he still beat Argentinas Ignacio Perrin by decision.I felt good, but I must do better because this is my chance, he said.When AIBA invited professional boxers to attempt to qualify for the Rio de Janeiro Games earlier this year, no big international names accepted the offer, and only three pros are in the Rio field. But Ruenroeng eagerly seized the chance just a few weeks after losing his professional title, and he earned qualification last month.He is hardly a man among boys in the amateur game, however: Ruenroeng decided to fight at the 60-kilogram lightweight limit, a whopping 11 kilograms above his flyweight professional limit. He was stopped during the qualifying tournament in Venezuela last month, and he will have to beat two more veteran Olympic-style fighters to get a medal in Rio.Its difficult, because my opponents have an advantage, Ruenroeng said. Theyre bigger, but I have the will.The risk was negligible to Ruenroeng, who still feels he owes a debt to boxing. He also shares many Thai athletes devotion to the King of Thailand, who pardoned him from a 15-year sentence after he showed boxing talent.Thats why I came here for a second time, to prove myself, he said. I have to find out whether I can get the Olympic medal or not.The second chapter of Ruenroengs life has been all about righting wrongs.A grade-school dropout, Ruenroeng said he went to jail three times and was serving a 15-year sentence for robbing a tourist when he first discovered his knack for boxing through a prison athletics program. He soon had a national title, a pardon and a purpose: To win internationally for Thailand, which has a decent history of boxing success.He earned a spot at the Beijing Olympics and won two fights, but fell one fight short of a medal in the light flyweight division. He lost a painful 5-2 decision to Mongolias Purevdorjin Serdamba, who went on to win silver.Ruenroeng didnt turn pro until 2012, but he had quick success. He won his title in January 2014 and defended it five times, even trouncing two-time Olympic gold medalist Zou Shiming last year.The amateur sport has changed since Ruenroeng and Zou left it. The fighters no longer wear headgear, and the Olympics are scored under a version of the 10-point professional standards instead of the punch-counting system used in Beijing.Ruenroeng didnt change much about his approach, sticking to the skills that had kept him unbeaten as a pro under Johnriel Casimero stopped him and took away his belt in May.Ruenroeng misses his wife and son back in Thailand, but he speaks to them daily. He sounds like the very definition of a rehabilitated prisoner when he looks back at the path behind him and the possibilities ahead.(Prison) made me know the importance of the family, of my friends, Ruenroeng said. It taught me that whatever I do, I have to have a conscience. I have to think before acting. Cheap Hockey Jerseys For Sale . - Levi Browns tenure at left tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers is over before it even began. 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BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Justin Fuente arrives as Frank Beamers successor at Virginia Tech with an offensive background that has Hokies fans excited, and with lofty expectations.Last season at Memphis, Fuentes offense was steered by 6-foot-7 quarterback Paxton Lynch, the 26th player selected overall in the NFL draft, and hes not yet certain who will fill that role for the Hokies. The contenders are Brenden Motley, who showed dual-threat ability in six starts last season, and transfer Jerod Evans. He has no major college experience, but threw for 38 touchdowns against just three interceptions in just eight games before being sidelined with a wrist injury last year at Trinity Valley Community College in Texas.Motley, a fifth-year senior, was inherited, while Fuente also recruited Evans when he was at Memphis.Fuente has expressed no desire to rush before making a decision, and thats fine with the contenders.Im a team-first guy, Motley said. I know Rod is a team-first guy. If thats what coach wants to do, thats fine with me.Revered defensive coordinator Bud Foster is still around calling the defensive shots. He is looking to rebuild a defense that disappointed last season, especially in its inability to stop the run.Last year was very poor according to our standards, Foster said as camp got started. We are going to get back to that. I dont feel any pressure. When coach (Fuente) and I first started talking, he told me that I wouldnt have to play perfect defense anymore. I told him that he doesnt know me very well from that standpoint.In the offseason, several linemen in the defensive mix bulked up and got faster. With potential phenom Tim Settle in better shape and still weighing in at above 320 pounds -- and several other linemen having added weight and muscle -- Foster is optimistic.It is hard to play perfect, he said of the defense overall, but we are looking forr excellence.ddddddddddddere are some things to watch at Virginia Tech this season:OPENING DAYThe Fuente era begins with a home game against Liberty, and the Hokies would do well to perform in a way that gives them a good feeling heading into Week Two. Thats when they will play Tennessee of the SEC at Bristol Motor Speedway, a long-anticipated matchup where 150,000 or so fans are expected to be in attendance.RECEIVER SHORTAGEIn Isaiah Ford and Cam Phillips, Virginia Tech has one of the best tandems of receivers in the ACC. Fuente likes to play fast and shuttle in lots of players. That has put pressure on young receivers to learn fast, although tight end Bucky Hodges and fullback Sam Rogers are also very capable pass-catchers.LINEBACKER DEPTHFoster has several young players that he has high expectations for, and in a defensive scheme that feeds a lot of the playmaking to the linebackers, he will need several of them to be ready to prove that his expectations are warranted quickly.KEY GAMESThe matchup with the Vols is huge and has been hyped as such. But with a Coastal Division title the primary objective for the year, the Hokies games at division rivals North Carolina on Oct. 8, at home on a Thursday night against Miami on Oct. 20 and at Duke of Nov. 5 will have the most to say about their prospects.PREDICTIONThe Hokies have limped into bowl eligibility several times in recent years, leading to the change at the top. But Fuentes fast-paced system is much different that the conservative approach Beamer preferred, and while it may take some time to hit their stride, theres too much talent not to go bowling again.---Online:The APs college football page: www.collegefootball.ap.org---Follow Hank on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hankkurzjr ' ' '