ASHLEY CAIN is set to fight eight times to honour the life of his eight-month old daughter Azaylia.
In April last year, Cain tragically lost baby Azaylia, who suffered from a rare form of leukaemia.
The heroic former footballer and reality TV star is now dedicating his life towards commemorating his daughter’s life, launching The Azaylia Foundation.
Cain and his brother Matty in September cycled 1,040 miles from the bottom of England to the top of Scotland to “raise awareness and funds for all the incredible children fighting childhood cancer.”
Now, the ex-Coventry winger has turned his attention to boxing and this Saturday steps foot in the ring as part of a UK vs USA influencer card.
But for 31-year-old Cain, who fights American YouTuber Andreas Eskander, it will be the first of eight bouts, all in memory of Azaylia.
He said: “It was important for me to take on this boxing challenge because my daughter fought a heroic battle against cancer on this earth for eight months.
“So I want to honour those eight months with eight bouts in the ring.
“I promised that even now I will always be the best daddy I can be, I will honour her incredible time here and 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.
“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.”
The Azaylia Foundation aims to support families that are fundraising for treatments that may not be readily available on the NHS and provide children with memorable experiences as they fight cancer. You can donate here.