I remember Morikawa's health affecting chapter releases. I'm just surprised that they don't hire ghost artists to keep popular manga going, so the original author just has to work on storyline. Can you imagine if Stephen King were a manga artist? He'd have burnt out by now trying to write and draw everything. Focusing only on the writing has to be easier, especially if your health is poor. But if he was straight up retiring, an announcement would be nice.
But I don't think Ippo has won a single fight since stepping on the world stage. And now there's this loss. It's like it's moving towards a bitter ending focusing on the dangers of boxing. Sort of like Kamogawa's buddy (Dachi?) who retired punch drunk.