About Steve Shepherd
Steve Shepherd is a 5 time, 4 weight division world kickboxing champion who ended his career with a record of 49 wins, 4 losses and 2 no contest. He defeated international champions from Canada, Japan, Australia, Europe, and Asia, and defeated world champions in 7 separate weight divisions and was voted pound for pound the greatest fighter in the world in 1980, 1981, 1982 by Official Karate Magazine. He, along with fighters like Jean-Yves Theriault, Brad Hefton, Jerry Trimble and others, were the first stars of kickboxing when it became a new regulated sport and helped revolutionized the sport, taking it from small market special interest, to international recognition.
After hanging up his gloves and footpads, Steve trained, managed, and promoted over 200 state, golden gloves national and world champions, amateur and pro, boxing and kickboxing fighters. He promoted boxing and kickboxing on National & International levels also. In 1990, he promoted USA versus the Soviet Union, which included Vitale Klitchko, who in 2005, retired as the World Heavyweight Boxing Champion. In 1995, promoted USA versus Russia for the second time.
A true martial arts renaissance man as competitor, trainer, manager, promoter, and successful school owner for over 25 years Shepherd's Boxing & Kickboxing Center, an internationally renowned training facility, boasted a multitude of world champions, including, Don "The Dragon" Wilson, Benny "The Jet" Urqudez, Bill "Superfoot" Wallace among many others.
In 1979, he created the Ringstar name, establishing Ringstar Promotions from 1979 - 1999, overseeing more than 100 events. In the mid 90's, amid his involvement in the careers of many up and coming fighters, Steve began to see the need to improve on faulty designed martial arts equipment. He began to develop a shoe that would replace the conventional footpad, which was prone to twisting on the foot during sparring, distracting fighters at the most inopportune times, not to mention inadequacies in hygiene and protection against broken toes. What eventually resulted was the first and only shoe ever sanctioned and approved for competition.
About ArmorFit
In late 2009 Steve Shepherd was watching a training session at a local MMA facility, and noticed they were lacking MMA training gear - specifically MMA head gear and MMA sparring gloves. The fighters used boxing gear during stand-up and no gear during grappling sessions. The seed was planted. What came out of that one session was an extraordinary new concept... Armorfit!