Make Ruiz look like David Price at the end of the second Thompson fight, then knock him out in a similar manner Povetkin did.
I'm scared for AJ. I think he doesn't have enough time or confidence to do it. He's never been a fleet footed guy. He just needs to jab the whole night and clinch inside and walking Ruiz back. He SHOULD eventually find opportunities later, I mean FFS he's got the huge height and reach advantage, he doesn't need to be as good as Ruiz boxing wise, just close and his advantages should be enough to do the rest.
All he has to do is win legitimately. If that's a boring Wlad like performance where he does 80% jabbing and grabbing, thats fine by me. Get the win, worry about looking good next fight.
Early KO alone isn't as impressive as outclassing him in every way then knocking him out or scoring a wide UD. Not the way he went out. If Ruiz smashes him up with speed and combos again and AJ scores a come from behind KO (even if it's early) we're still left believing he's just as vulnerable. A wide 'taken to school' UD (or dominating late KO) sets it in stone that he's better, he's learned from his mistake, that he can adapt, probably giving us a new outlook on his chances vs the rest of the division. Wilder and Fury most importantly.
Just a solid performance. A KO would be better. If he wins timidly on points, that's not too good. But a win is a win. Boring can be dominant, so I didn't say boring.