Boxer Juan Carlos Robles Amputates His Own Finger

"I couldn't wait," said Robles, who works full time for an excavation company. "I was out for a while. I needed money, and I had a fight lined up."

So he went home, put towels over the kitchen table and blocked off a working area with several two-by-fours. He put gauze around the area and twisted soldering wire around his right pinkie to slow the flow of blood.

"Then I put a wood chisel on it and dropped a 15-pound weight on the chisel," Robles said. "The piece shot out about six feet like a missile."

"I fight because I enjoy it," he said. "But there's other things I want to do besides fight. I'm getting restless. I want to travel."

He took a trip to Hollywood recently to audition for the Versus boxing reality show "The Contender." Show producers had heard about Robles' story and invited him out. He lasted two days.

"I gathered they thought my attitude would cause conflict for the show," he said.

One of the concerns producers had was about fighting among contestants away from the ring, Robles said. He was asked what he would do if, say, one of the contestants tried to take his finger necklace.

"I said I would cut their finger off and use that as a necklace," Robles said.