@Seafarer33:
Good chapter indeed. Now the coach has noticed Ippo's improved speed I can't help but think this may not yet be the end of his boxing days. At the same time however, the sorry display of the glass-jaw guy did give a rather final ring to "persisting against apparent odds is not a good idea", so I don't know what to think. I'm fine with either way, provided the explanation isn't too silly (consider "d'oh, I was eating those punches because I should have worn glasses all along" ).
I believe that the explanation was already given. What the doctor said (that there was nothing definitely "broken" for now, just a dangerous situation), plus the whole Hayami thing, tells us that Ippo was definitely in a very dangerous spot, with a lot of accumulated damage, but not irreversible. I believe it was even stated during the Hayami chapters that Hayami could have recuperated from his damage but he didn't give himself the chance to fully heal before it was permanent.
The fact that Ippo lacked motivation and was weighted down with all the responsibility of meeting his coach's expectations (including the perfected Dempsey roll) just exacerbated the issue.
Now, in chapter 1240, we see a relaxed Ippo, that isn't weighted down at all by the responsibility of meeting any expectations or even winning… just an Ippo that truly enjoys boxing while taking it even more seriously than before in some aspects (since he has now started to learn more about all these other aspects of boxing, like being a second, and coaching, and since he has faced himself the possibility of getting a broken body).
I think that all that and even his retirement has helped with Ippo's focus and has helped Ippo mature and become stronger mentally. Eventually, enough time will pass for his body to be fully healed and his improved focus, maturity and stronger mentality will remain. And then, when Ippo regains the will to get back on the ring, his motivation, thanks to all those factors, will be much stronger.
And I believe this is all coherent with this manga's theme of "the meaning of strength" and its ramifications and questions.