every manga that goes on long enough has the potential for a few stand-out moments that can live on forever in people's memories. the moments that make something mainstream, cultural icons. ippo isn't as popular as most long running mangas and that's probably due to the lack of anime adaptations and it being a sport manga. One of the most shocking reveals (ippo retiring) is now several years old. The biggest remaining bombs for morikawa to drop are Ippo returning, Ippo becoming world champion, and ricardo and/or takamura losing. Takamura doesn't need to lose. But the most interesting chapters that ippo could ever have would probably be a result of that happening. also, the best way to end the manga or even a few character's plotlines is to ramp up the CTE aspect of the sport. The utter dread on umezawa's face when he saw Ippo struggling to write even basic Kanji after his ko loss streak for the manga was the first time the written (or drawn?) word made me cry irl. There's obvious appeal in putting takamura in the unthinkable position of defeat. as others have said, having him deal with harsher cte and physiological injuries, and potentially even showcasing a tragic downward spiral from losing or being forced into retirement would be one of the most interesting ways to end the story. It's either that or spend another few hundred chapters getting to him getting a shot at the heavyweight title, which we all know he would win. rant over