Povetkin simply didn't try hard enough

[BattleAxePurist]

He tried plenty hard enough or he wouldn't of made it full 12 , he just didn't have enough ability or smarts

[cupocity303]

That was Wlad on his A game, that strategy of leaning works in every fight.

That of course is a false stereotype. He didn't clinch like this in his last two fights. It was Povetkin's Hatton-esque style (sidenote: he even looks a bit like Hatton) that made this a more than usual clinch fest.

The key to victory was actually landing one of those lunging punches flush, which he failed to do.

[cupocity303]

I think Povetkin tried plenty hard he just messed up.

1) He pushed in which was a good plan but he was reckless thus ended up pushing in too far making it easy for Wlad to tie him up.

2) He threw on the way in which sometimes worked but in most cases that was all he did and since he got too far in he smothered the inside work he needed to do and on top of that he failed to really fight in the clinch at all.

Even with that he got Wlad off his normal plan a which is what a lot of people want to see and I think he did that mostly on effort, what he needed to be was a lot more thoughtful and tricky. Plus he should have thrown Wlad down at least a couple times, the ref was doing nothing to stop Wlad's shenanigans so Povetkin needed to give him some of his own medicine.

That is a fair assessment.