Is Andy Ruiz good or did Joshua just mess up that badly in the first fight?

[Laligalaliga]

AJ fought under a lot of pressure to impress because of 1st round demolition of breazeale.
Note: don't put yourself under pressure because of your rival.

[Clegg]

I do believe he's a genuine top 10, not top 5 although his skills and speed mixed with lazy fat is fairly unique so potentially he can beat some guys that are overall better but also lose to guys who are overall worse than he is. But it likely goes downhill from here because he'll never be as motivated as he was and the next generation of heavys look pretty good

[sunny31]

Joshua is just too chinny to stand his ground like he used to. Andy will keep you honest and that's why AJ had to drastically change his style and physique. There are too many holes for him to take chances on getting cracked.

AJ fought under a lot of pressure to impress because of 1st round demolition of breazeale.
Note: don't put yourself under pressure because of your rival.

This and this.

Ruiz because of his chin, combinations, and decent power can probably out bang most if not all the current heavyweights. I also think Joshua because of the Wilder performance was under pressure to do a demolition job...he had no reason to believe that once hurting Ruiz he shouldn't go in for the kill based on past experiences. He learned a painful lesson but I think he'll be a better fighter moving forward. He'll probably be a bit more observant once he hurts a fighter too.

Ruiz was not some great mystery, hes a good fighter. But if you watch the parker fight, hes essentially the same guy. Parker boxed him from the outside but when he stood still or exchanged he got banged up. Most guys cant move for a full 12 though so he will have his successes

[PRINCEKOOL]

I think the second fight proves even more, that Ruiz Junior is a good fighter 'Joshua has had months to prepare and analyse Ruiz Junior'. But even still? Yes he got the win but his performance was not emphatic, and for 12 rounds Ruiz Junior looked to be the more dangerous fighter offensively.

This is a turning point in Joshua's career, because he has now met a fighter who? Seemingly to a extent was invulnerable to his power, and not massively intimidated by him inside of the ring 'Anthony Joshua knows this, and it has shook him'

Anthony Joshua is still shaken up, just like Tyson Fury is shook from Deontay Wilder.

[Chrismart]

I think he's a good HW. I'm interested in seeing what happens next with him. Hopefully can still be motivated/get back his motivation after 2 big paydays.

[Laligalaliga]

This and this.

Ruiz because of his chin, combinations, and decent power can probably out bang most if not all the current heavyweights. I also think Joshua because of the Wilder performance was under pressure to do a demolition job...he had no reason to believe that once hurting Ruiz he shouldn't go in for the kill based on past experiences. He learned a painful lesson but I think he'll be a better fighter moving forward. He'll probably be a bit more observant once he hurts a fighter too.

Ruiz was not some great mystery, hes a good fighter. But if you watch the parker fight, hes essentially the same guy. Parker boxed him from the outside but when he stood still or exchanged he got banged up. Most guys cant move for a full 12 though so he will have his successes

Moving forward for Ruiz, he might have problems making too fights because he's Hugh risk low reward based on the excuse he gave after the last fight.
Many new fans he gained deserted him.

[emceetns]

Cuz I keep going back and forth on it..... Like all day.......

I believe that both statements are true. Contrary to popular belief, Andy Ruiz Jr. is not simply a journeyman who got luck. He was rated in the Ring magazine top-10 in 2016 and 2017 before dropping out in 2018 due to inactivity. Ruiz has fast hands and his greatest strength is his ability to exchange at mid-range.

Joshua did mess up badly in the first fight by going in for the kill prematurely, however Andy still had to be good enough to exploit that.

[Mammoth]

He was rated in the Ring magazine top-10 in 2016 and 2017 before dropping out in 2018 due to inactivity.

Thanks for pointing this out. People forgot this....

[emceetns]

I think the second fight proves even more, that Ruiz Junior is a good fighter 'Joshua has had months to prepare and analyse Ruiz Junior'. But even still? Yes he got the win but his performance was not emphatic, and for 12 rounds Ruiz Junior looked to be the more dangerous fighter offensively.

This is a turning point in Joshua's career, because he has now met a fighter who? Seemingly to a extent was invulnerable to his power, and not massively intimidated by him inside of the ring 'Anthony Joshua knows this, and it has shook him'

Anthony Joshua is still shaken up, just like Tyson Fury is shook from Deontay Wilder.

If anything AJ's strategy was a sign of respect for what happened in the first fight. I'm sure Joshua would have liked nothing more than to blast Ruiz out and he actually tried to on a few occasions. Andy has a great chin, though and when he returned fire with heat of his own, AJ knew from the first fight that it was better to box from distance than give Andy a puncher's chance by exchanging too much.