Age would be a factor for anyone pushing 50 years old. Number and quality of fights or "Number of punches absorbed" is HUGE factor! When speech is slurry "twhen thspeeeczz iz sthlurry" without being drunk this indicates brain damage, James Toney for example :hat
I knew you weren't referring to Pacman as being shot. However, the criteria you cited that would cause a fighter to be considered shot: significant weight gain and aged 29+ years apply to Pacman as well as any of his potential opponents. That's why I mentioned them in addition to having 50 plus fights on the clock. Anyway, maybe I'm thick, but I'm still not 100% sure what you're trying to say.
When is a fighter truly shot? -When fighters they used to detroy in their primes start to knock them out. How big a factor is age? -Kind of hard to say. In general, most fighters are done by about their mid 30's, but there are many exceptions to that of course. A lot more factors go into determining when a fighter is shot other than age. How important is the number and quality of fights? -Probably the single biggest factor. You come to realize that fighters with more exciting fights and more action packed fights reach their end quicker than more defensive minded fighters. Boxers with lots of hard fighters get old and decline into being fully shot within a very short amount of time. While slicksters can usually go on for a few extra years despite the fact that they're in their 30's and might have lost a step or two. How important is the mind in determining if a fighter is shot? -Well, once you see a boxer slurring their speech it's probably well past the time he should've hung up his gloves. No fighter should ever get to that point in his career. It's the kind of brain damage that will give him problems later on in life.
According to many ESB posters a fighter is either shot, a bum or should retire either after their first loss or in some cases at birth.