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Former IBF flyweight champion Amnat Ruenroeng of Thailand won his first bout Monday at an Olympic qualifying tournament in Vargas, Venezuela.U.S. contenders Cam F. Awesome, Paul Kroll and Brandon Lynch lost their opening bouts, failing to earn spots at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics next month.The 36-year-old Ruenroeng fought at the Beijing Olympics, falling one win shy of a medal. Four years after mounting a successful professional career, he is one of just two moderately prominent pro boxers attempting to take advantage of the International Boxing Associations (AIBA) decision to allow pros to compete in the Olympics by jumping into the final qualifying tournament before Rio.Ruenroeng won his bout in Venezuela against Germanys Artur Bril, who fights in an AIBA-backed professional league. Ruenroeng lost his IBF title less than six weeks ago when John Riel Casimero stopped him.Awesome lost a decision to Ecuadorian heavyweight Julio Cesar Castillo Torres, who also beat him at the previous Olympic qualifying tournament in Azerbaijan last month. Awesome is a four-time U.S. national champion and a two-time Olympic trials champion, but he missed his first Olympic shot four years ago when he failed to complete his drug tests while still fighting under his birth name, Lenroy Thompson.Lost my fight today and now my Olympic run is over, the 27-year-old Awesome said in a post on his Twitter account. Time to re-re-reinvent myself and see whats next for me. It may not be boxing.Awesome has expressed skepticism about becoming a professional, preferring the Olympic-style version of the sport.Kroll also lost a 3-0 decision to Germanys Arajik Marutjan in a welterweight bout, ending the Philadelphia-based fighters Olympic hopes.Lynch lost a decision to Ukraines Rostyslav Arkhypenko in their super heavyweight bout.Six American men and two women have qualified for Rio, but that could be the full extent of the team representing the U.S., the most successful nation in Olympic boxing history.While Claressa Shields won a gold medal and Marlen Esparza earned a bronze during the debut Olympic womens boxing tournament in London, the U.S. men won no medals in 2012 and just one bronze medal in 2008. Andre Ward is the last American man to win a gold medal, although the current team has legitimate medal hopes with bantamweight Shakur Stevenson and flyweight Antonio Vargas.U.S. light heavyweight Jonathan Esquivel beat Bulgarias Spas Genov in his opening bout in Venezuela, but Esquivels path to Rio is now blocked in his next bout by 32-year-old Hassan NDam. The French-Cameroonian fighter who briefly held two versions of an interim middleweight title is attempting to earn another trip to the Olympics after losing in the quarterfinals in Athens 12 years ago.Ruenroeng and NDam are the only significantly accomplished pros attempting to win this final qualifying tournament for the Rio Games under the AIBA rule change, which has drawn widespread condemnation from many fighters and coaches.After drawing initial interest from several pros including Manny Pacquiao and Wladimir Klitschko, AIBAs gambit apparently has failed to attract any big-name boxers into the field. 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But he said he did nothing improper when he sold those shares over the next two days.SEATTLE -- By this point, they might as well consider Seattle and Carolina a divisional game.For the seventh time in five years, the Panthers and Seahawks will meet on Sunday night each with a different sense of urgency heading into the final month of the regular season.Seattle (7-3-1) reverted to its inconsistent form of earlier this season in a loss last week to Tampa Bay that now leaves the Seahawks, while still in complete control of the NFC West, with no room for error in trying to hold off others in the NFC for the No. 2 seed and a coveted first-round bye in the playoffs.The level of urgency is far greater for the defending NFC champion Panthers.After last weeks loss in Oakland , the Panthers (4-7) are three games behind in the NFC South race and 2+ games behind Washington for the final wild-card spot with five games to go.There is time for Carolina, but its running short to avoid joining the list of Super Bowl participants to miss the postseason the following year.Weve lost five games by three points or less. We had opportunities to win football games down the stretch and didnt do it, Carolina coach Ron Rivera said.Those are things that unfortunately we just didnt do. We did it last year and thats probably the hard pill to swallow.Theres also the Super Bowl hangover, something that Rivera acknowledged researching what Seattle coach Pete Carroll did following the back-to-back trips by the Seahawks to the championship game to try and figure out ways to avoid a swoon by his team.I think its got a little bit to do with it. The truth of the matter is if you win the first game, things can be different. Unfortunately we didnt, so we have to battle uphill, Rivera said.Unlike the Panthers, thus far at least, Seattle was able to overcome early troubles following both of its Super Bowl trips to find a way back to the postseason.I think you have to be prepared for it way before you ever get to it, Carroll said.If its the first time you ever talk about it, I think you might not be able to have grounded thoughts and approach to deal with it. Its an enormous impact, win or lose.Thanks to the underperformance by the rest of the division, Seattle is in fine shape to make a fifth straight playoff appearance under Carroll, with a three-game lead in the NFC West over Arizona.The loss last week to Tampa Bay seemed destined from the outset, with the Seahawks down four starters onn defense including safety Earl Thomas, and without starting center Justin Britt the anchor to whats been a shaky offensive line all season.ddddddddddddBut managing just five points -- and only a field goal by the offense -- was a startling reversal back to Seattles offensive problems early in the season when the Seahawks began the season with 12 points in a win over Miami and three points in a loss to Los Angeles.We were just a little bit off. Last week was last week. You can always get better, Seattle QB Russell Wilson said.Heres what else to watch as the past three NFC representatives in the Super Bowl meet:RUNNING DOWNHILL: Stopping the Panthers run game means more than just worrying about the running back.I think theyre the only team in the league that runs a quarterback power, Seattle linebacker Bobby Wagner said.While many of the Panthers offensive statistics are down from a year ago, they still remain one of the most diverse running attacks in the league with Jonathan Stewart, Mike Tolbert and Newton.And Seattle has seemed more susceptible to the run this season, giving up 100.8 yards per game on the ground and seeing teams stick with the run more than the past. Opponents are averaging 28.4 run attempts per game against Seattle. Last season, it was 22.6.LINES OF CHANGE: Both the offensive lines for Seattle and Carolina are in major flux.The Seahawks are hoping to get Britt back from an ankle injury that sidelined him last week. With Britt out, Seattle struggled with protection and the Bucs sacked Wilson six times. The Seahawks are also making a change at right tackle with Bradley Sowell stepping in to replace Garry Gilliam.Those are minor changes compared to what the Panthers are going through . Centers Ryan Khalil and Gino Gradkowski were placed on injured reserve this week.Tyler Larsen is expected to make his first start at center, but the changes also include Trai Turner expected to start at right tackle for the first time since high school and Chris Scott likely stepping in at guard.PROTECT HOME: The Seahawks are the only unbeaten team at home in the NFL this season. But its been four years -- 2012- since Seattle finished the season 8-0 at home.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '