A Blessing And A Curse

The second-born of four with an older brother and two younger sisters, Michael Angeletti lived in New Orleans until the age of 10

“As a child living in a section of New Orleans where you had to be vigilant, our parents tried to keep us safe,” said Angeletti, who is “Creole” with a father who is black and Italian and a mother who is black, French and Irish.

“I remember at times having to duck down to the ground to dodge bullet shots in the neighborhood, and seeing people being harassed by the cops. I come from that type of environment.”

Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Angeletti and his family relocated to Houston.

“My parents moved us to live with my aunt for about a week thinking there would be better opportunities for us,” Angeletti said. 

“Hurricane Katrina was a blessing and a curse at the same time. A lot of people died if not lost their homes because of Hurricane Katrina, and I was 10 years old when we finally left the Sixth Ward for Houston.”

Angeletti’s transition to Houston was not a smooth one.

“Being comfortable in New Orleans where you know your friends compared to being in Houston where I didn’t have any friends and didn’t know anybody and the people were different was difficult at first,” Angeletti said.

“Being from New Orleans, you had to know how to defend yourself, and you don’t take a lot of talk from anybody. So I got into a lot of trouble where I didn’t really start the fights but I definitely won a lot of them. As a result, I got kicked out of school a couple of different times.”

‘Determined To Be Good’

A 12-year-old Angeletti’s trajectory detoured when he bypassed an AAU basketball practice in favor of entering a boxing gym in the same sports complex.

“I was playing basketball when I was 12, but I ended up skipping basketball practice and I found the gym,” said Angeletti, who first donned a pair of gloves under the guidance of Ramone Sosa. “The coaches saw how closely I was paying attention to what they were doing. When they encouraged me to join, I was determined to be good.”

Angeletti compiled an amateur record of 120-10 at 114 pounds, being second and first in the Elite National Championships in 2017 and 2018 and third in the 2018 Feliks Stamm Tournament in Warsaw, Poland.

“First day in the gym, I wanted to spar. But they were about teaching me the technique. It was a lot of shadowboxing, looking in the mirror at my defense, the jab, the hook,” Angeletti said. 

“I was always a fighter as a kid. I just liked the respect you get out of fighting. Even though I had just moved there, people were like, ‘that’s the kid who knows how to fight, don’t mess with him.’”

A 24-year-old Angeletti won his 121 ½-pound professional debut with a second-round stoppage of previously unbeaten southpaw Jerrell Barbour in December 2020. 

“I hardly remember anything about my first fight being that I was a little jittery and it was fast-paced,” said Angeletti of Barbour, who entered at 1-0. “I was so anxious to get a knockout that it was like a street fight. I just remember going all out and throwing a lot of power shots.”

A more composed Angeletti won thrice in 2021 at weights ranging from 121-to-122 pounds, following a four-round unanimous decision over Fernando Ibarra de Anda in March with consecutive third-round knockouts of Luis Valdes Pena in June and Alexis Salido in September.

It was more of the same in 2022 as Angeletti scored stoppages in his next three fights comprising those in the -fifth, first and fifth rounds against Angelo Luna (March), Rafael Morel (August) and previously unbeaten southpaw Jeremy Adorno (October).

Angeletti’s last fight was at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, against Adorno on the undercard of former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder’s first-round knockout of Robert Helenius.

A former National Golden Gloves, Ringside and Youth Nationals champion as an amateur, Adorno was twice floored in the second by Angeletti. Badly hurt by Angeletti in the fifth round, Adorno’s trainer stopped the fight between rounds prior to the sixth.

“I’m glad that I faced a good southpaw prospect this early in my career because after having this experience early, I know I’ll be ready for it later on in my career. We were able to adapt and adjust to every situation during the fight,” said Angeletti, who faced Adorno at a career-high 126 pounds.

A resident of Spring, Texas, Angeletti lives with his wife, Veronica, seven-month old daughter, Nyla, and two-year-old son, Legacy. 

“We’ll have been married for four years in December,” said Angeletti, who obtained his real estate license in June 2018. “Eventually, I want to own a few apartment complexes as well as commercial and other properties. Even though I’m focused on boxing, I’m preparing for life after boxing as well.”

His focus on boxing was apparent on August 12, 2023, when he remained undefeated with a unanimous decision over Jonathan Lopez (8-1-2). Scores read 79-73, 79-73 and 80-72.