Curtis Schuster

Curtis "Battlecat" Schuster

Curtis "The Battle Cat" Schuster was born December 9, 1968.
He is a former 2 time World Kickboxing Champion

Currently living in Kirkland, Washington
Currently the
- Enterprise Account Executive, BRS at EMC
- President and Chief Executive Officer at Rockland Development, Inc
Contact Info: battlecat@msn.com

MARTIAL ARTS BACKGROUND
- MARTIAL ARTS
  - Black Belt in Thai-Kenpo
- KICKBOXING
  - TITLES
    - ISKA Super Heavyweight Kickboxing World Champion
    - ISKA Muay Thai World Champion
  - PAST BOUTS (SEE DETAILS BELOW)

____________________________________

Man Gets A Real Kick Out Of His Profession
World Champ To Open A School In Bellevue
Seattle Times News - 1995

By Steve Johnston BELLEVUE: Curtis Schuster presents an intimidating figure. He stands 6 feet, is 218 pounds of solid muscle and has a shaved head and a sinister-looking goatee. His shoulders are tattooed with huge wildcats because he fights as "The Cat." He got the name from the speed of his hands.

"People say I'm as fast as a cat,"

says Schuster, who lives in Bellevue.

Schuster, 26, also must be pretty fast with his feet and elbows because he is the world superheavyweight kick-boxing champion for the International Sport Karate Association, a title he recently defended in Paris and will defend again Saturday in Reno.

When it comes to kick-boxing champions, the Eastside has more than its share of bragging rights. Besides Schuster, there are Kim Messer, world-champion female kick-boxer, and Maurice Smith, holder of the World Karate Association heavyweight kick-boxing championship and, at age 33, considered the grandfather of kick-boxing.

Smith is the reason the three champions in this little-known sport decided to start a kick-boxing school here, to open next month at 1807 132nd Ave. N.E. Schuster met Smith three years ago while making the rounds around Puget Sound as a heavyweight boxer. He'd won a bronze medal for boxing in the 1984 Junior Olympics.

"When I first met Maurice he told me I could be a world champion,"

Schuster says.

"I was tough and could hit hard, but I didn't have much knowledge in kick-boxing."

Whatever Schuster lacked, Smith was able to supply. Smith had been undefeated in championship fights for 11 years. He'd been knocked out only once, in 1991 by a boxer from the Netherlands in a nontitle fight, and that was only the second time he'd been defeated. When the two met in Kirkland, Schuster had a black belt in Thai-Kenpo, and he knew how to use his hands.

"Maurice taught me how to use my legs and knees,"

Schuster says.

"You learn how to use every point of your body."

There are three types of kick-boxing. The form allowed in most states permits only kicks and punches. Modified Thai boxing also allows use of the knees, and Muay Thai, practiced overseas, includes leg sweeps and elbowing. Schuster, who has had 17 professional bouts, fights under any form. None of his challengers has gone past the third round, and all of his victories have been by knockout.

Although Bellevue may seem an odd place to open a kickboxing gym, Smith says, "there is more money in Bellevue than Seattle." Kick-boxing lessons, or working out at a kick-boxing gym, costs from $50 to $75 a month. It's "a good way to work out," Smith says. "We believe we have the best experienced kick-boxers in the country."

Another reason Bellevue attracts international kick-boxing attention is Kirk Jensen of Kirk Jensen Promotions, the Don King of kick-boxing.

"I've been involved in kick-boxing for 18 years, and I'm able to give the fighters an opportunity to fight,"

Jensen says. "I called Paris and said I had a good fighter (Schuster) to send. They know me and trust me."

Although Schuster has made some money as a professional kick-boxer, he makes his living in real estate. He acknowledges that people are usually frightened when they first meet him because he looks like he could beat the stuffing out of them.

"But once I start talking and show that I know what I am talking about," he says, you can see relief spread across their faces."

Schuster says he's never had a chance to find out how he would do in a bar fight because he doesn't go to bars. Besides, he adds, if someone started a fight with him, he'd try to talk his way out of it.

____________________________________

PRO FIGHTS
1. July 30th, 1994
  Destiny VII, Nagoya, Japan, Aichiken Budokan.
  Defeated Riki Oh (Japan) by KO Round 3, Right High Kick.VIDEO: Riki-Oh VS Curtis Shuster
2. January 27th, 1995
  Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, Santa Cruz, California, USA.
  Defeated Wade Irwin (Canada) by Round 3, Overhand Right.
  - Won Vacant ISKA Super Heavyweight World Title.
  - VIDEO: Schuster VS Wade Irwin
3. April, 1995
  Paris, France.
  Defeated Lee Hasdell (Britain) by KO Round 1, Right Knee.
  - Defended ISKA Super Heavyweight World Title
4. May 17th, 1995
  Kickboxing Mania, San Jose Event Center, San Jose, California, USA.
  Defeated Valeri Savchenko (Russia) by KO Round 1, Straight Left.
  - Defended ISKA Super Heavyweight World Title.
  - VIDEO: Schuster VS Valeri Savchenko
5. June, 1995
  Paris, France.
  Defeated Kenny Gale (Britain) by KO Round 2, Left Hook.
  - Defended ISKA Super Heavyweight World Title.
  - VIDEO: Schuster VS Kenny Gale - NON ENGLISH - FULL SCREEN.
6. August 26th, 1995
  Kickboxing Mania V, Reno Hilton, Reno, Nevada, USA.
  Defeated Branko Pavlovic (Britain) by KO Round 2, Hand Foot Combination.
  - Defended ISKA Super Heavyweight World Title.
  - VIDEO: Schuster VS Branton Pavlovic
7. November 17th, 1995
  La Nuit Des Champions II, Palais Des Sports, Marseille, France.
  Defeated Jeff "Duke" Roufus (USA) by 5 Round Decision.
  - Defended ISKA Super Heavyweight World Title
8. June 1st, 1996
  Les Choc Des Champions, Salle Du Zenith, Paris, France.
  Lost to Jerome LeBanner (France) by 5 Round Decision.
  - Lost ISKA Super Heavyweight World Title.
  - VIDEO: Schuster VS Jérôme Le Banner
9. November, 1996
  Paris, France.
  Defeated Stephane Reveillon (France) by KO Round 2, Low Kicks.
10. February 1st, 1997
  Palais Des Sports, Marseille, France.
  Defeated Stephane Reveillon (France) by KO Round 2, Left Hook.
11. May 31st, 1997
  Strikeforce World Martial Arts, San Jose Event Center, San Jose, California, USA.
  Defeated Rani Berbachi (France) by KO Round, 2 Low Kicks.
  - Won ISKA Super Heavyweight Oriental Rules World Title
12. September 7th, 1997
  K-1 Grand Prix 97' Eliminations, Osaka Dome, Osaka, Japan.
  Defeated Sadau Kitsiongrit (Thailand) by 3 Round Decision.
13. April 9th, 1998
  K-1 Kings 98', Yokohama Arena, Yokohama, Japan.
  Lost to Andy Hug (Swiss) LOSS: 5 Round Decision.
14. August 7th, 1998
  K-1 USA Grand Prix 1998, Inaugural K-1 USA Tournament, The Mirage, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
  FIRST BOUT OF THE NIGHT: Defeated Jean Riviere (Canada) by KO Round 2, Left Knee.
  - SECOND BOUT OF THE NIGHT: Defeated Jean Claude Leuyer (USA) by KO Round 2, Right Hand.
    - With a packed house of approximately 4,200 kickboxing fans at the Mirage Resort and Casino in Las Vegas Nevada, USA, The first ever K-1 USA was everything the paying audience wanted. Well...that is... until the final championship tournament bout. When the time came to put the 2 undefeated fighters together, Curt Schuster and Rick Roufus, Schuster honorably bowed out due to a knee injury and Roufus won the first ever K-1 USA title by "Walkover", without throwing 1 punch or 1 kick.
      Schuster had just went through a round and a half war with Jean-Claude Leuyer before knocking out Leuyer in the middle of the second round. Schuster hurt his leg in the bout and when called to the ring to meet Roufus, Schuster didn't even have his gloves on. This would have been a great fight! It's too bad for both fighters that it had to end this way. Bad of course for Schuster and surly, Roufus wasn't proud of taking this kind of a win as well.
      Roufus wents on to the K-1 Grand Prix in Osaka Japan and word was, because of his showing and the way he was forced to bow out, Schuster was suppose to go too. However, for unknown reasons, he wasn't among the final 16 in Osaka who were, Peter Aerts, Sinisa Andrijasevic, Ray Sefo, Stefan Leko, Sam Greco, Matt Skelton, Franscisco Filho, Rick Roufus, Andy Hug, Mark Russell, Mike Bernardo, Maurice Smith, Ernesto Hoost, Tosca Petrides, Masaaki Satake and Glaube Feitosa.
FIGHT RECORD: 25-3 With 23 Wins by KO / TKO.