In 2005, Corrales received Fight of the Year honors by The Ring and the Boxing Writers Association of America for his acclaimed first bout with José Luis Castillo.

[2][6] Corrales' early life was filled with violence; he was raised in the Oak Park section of Sacramento, was involved with street gangs at age 13, and witnessed his best friend's death via drive-by shooting.

[8] In 1994, he took second place at the United States Amateur Championships, losing to Frankie Carmona on points in the featherweight final.

He reached the first round of the featherweight bracket at the 1995 Pan American Games, losing to Arnaldo Mesa.

Shortly after the Mayweather fight, Corrales served 14 months in prison after opting for a plea bargain on charges he faced for abusing his pregnant wife, Maria.

[10][11][12] Both men stood in front of each other, battering each other with hard combinations and power punches throughout the entire fight.

"[13] Corrales then trapped Castillo against the ropes and landed numerous punches, causing the referee, Tony Weeks, to stop the fight.

On April 7, 2007, fighting in the welterweight division, Corrales lost a unanimous decision to Joshua Clottey.

Corrales served 14 months in the Deuel Vocational Institution, a correctional facility in San Joaquin County, California,[15] after being convicted of domestic battery on his then pregnant girlfriend.

[16] On May 7, 2007, exactly two years to the day after his first fight with Castillo, Corrales was killed in a three-vehicle accident near his Las Vegas home.

Corrales was riding a 2007 Suzuki GSXR 1000 motorcycle, traveling northbound on Fort Apache Road in the southwest part of the Las Vegas Valley when he struck the back of a car and was thrown more than 100 feet into oncoming traffic and struck by another vehicle.

An ambulance was called by the witnesses at the scene, Corrales was rushed to a hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.