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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Joel Leaver

Ashley Cain to fight YouTuber prankster to raise funds for daughter Azaylia's charity

Ashley Cain will take part in a celebrity boxing match next month to raise awareness and funds for the foundation set up in honour of his late daughter Azaylia, who tragically passed away last year.

The reality TV star, 31, and his partner Safiyya Vorajee, 33, lost their young daughter Azaylia Cain when she was just eight months old, following a leukaemia diagnosis.

Azaylia's story had captivated the public, with her parents raising more than a £1 million prior to her death, which was donated to a charity set up in their daughter's name.

The Azaylia Foundation aims to support families that are fundraising for treatments not readily available on the NHS and to provide memorable experiences for children.

Ashley Cain's daughter Azaylia Cain tragically died last year, with him now determined to help other children that have cancer (Instagram)

The Ex on the Beach alum will represent the foundation in a charity boxing match next month, as part of the Showstar influencer event at the SSE Arena, in Wembley, on March 5.

The former footballer will fight against Andreas Eskander, 23 - who is best known as a YouTuber, with his channel having amassed more than 400,000 subscribers on the platform.

Announcing it on Instagram, Ashley said: "I told you I'd forever fight for my daughter. I told you I’d fight for these children. I told you I’d fight for everyone out there suffering loss."

He continued in the post, which was shared earlier this month: "I am not fighting for recognition, I am fighting for Azaylia and for all of the heroic children battling cancer."

The event is an opportunity for him to raise awareness and funds "for a cause embedded in [his] heart," he explained, with him describing taking part as an "easy choice."

He has said it will mark the first of eight boxing matches that he plans to have, with them marking each of the months that Azaylia "fought [her] heroic battle against cancer."

And in a subsequent statement ahead of the event, Ashley said that he had "promised" to do his best to honour his late daughter's legacy, as reported by the Daily Mail.

He said: "I will fight till the day I die for other children and their families who face the monster that is cancer. I am fighting because my daughter had to and for all those children who are still fighting this monster."

He added: "So I will fight for a cause which I am passionate about, raising awareness and funds for childhood cancer and also to show people that no matter what you are going through in this world, if you find your reason why and you're prepared to fight for it, you can overcome and achieve anything."

It's been reported that Ashley will donate a percentage of his fee for taking part in the event to the Azaylia Foundation - and he's calling on fans to make donations if they wish.

His late daughter was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia at just eight weeks old, with the condition said to have led to tumours on her lungs, stomach and kidneys.

She underwent treatment including chemotherapy, but sadly died in April last year. Her parents set up the charity, as part of her legacy, a few months after her passing.

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