The family of Duncan Browne have spoken about the "devastating" loss as they prepare to honour his memory.
Duncan, 23, from Kirkby, was assaulted on Hanover Street as he waited for a taxi on July 4, 2021. He suffered a cardiac arrest and died in hospital the following day.
An aspiring firefighter and huge Evertonian, Duncan had been in the city centre to watch England play Ukraine in the quarter-final of Euro 2020.
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Michael McLoughlin, 36, of Torus Road, Old Swan, delivered an unprovoked "catastrophic injury punch" to the 23-year-old and was jailed for nine years and four months for manslaughter. Terrence Kerwin, 34, of no fixed address, also hit the victim as they tried to get into a black cab ahead of him. Kerwin was handed 10 months behind bars for assault causing actual bodily harm.
Almost two years on from the tragic incident, Duncan's family have paid tribute to him and shared plans to honour his memory.
Family member Noel Browne, 50, told the ECHO: "We've got a really, really big, extended family. All the cousins are really close to each other and all the cousins' kids are really close to each other. It's a big Irish family.
"I taught Duncan how to fish, he was always there at family parties. He was such a nice person - people say it all the time, but he really was a lovely lad. A big Evertonian from a massive Everton family."
Duncan was Noel's cousin's son, but the 50-year-old said he considered him a nephew. He said the family are still coming to terms with the loss.
He said: "Obviously, Colin and Kathy (dad and mum) are still coming to terms with it. You have good days and you have bad days.
"It's difficult for anyone to deal with. It's one of those things that you will never ever get over.
"My mum died a few years ago from leukaemia. When I lost my mum, it was half-expected, that was difficult enough. But this has been on another level.
"How do you even go on from there? I struggle with it myself, so I can only imagine what others are like. It's devastating."
He added: "When it happened, we were all really distraught. So we've decided to do something in his honour."
Last year, £10,000 was raised for The Walton Centre in Duncan's memory. His family undertook a number of fundraising activities, including a charity golf day and organising a 'DB Festival' night, with live music.
This year, they will repeat the festival and a group will also take on a 125-mile canoeing challenge.
Noel said: "We're doing a sponsored canoe the length of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, over the last May Bank Holiday. We start on May 27 and will finish on May 31.
"We've got 15 people taking part, so we're going to need five crews of three men each. I've been busy with it all but I love doing it. It's for a great cause."
The fundraiser page says: "Your support to our family over these difficult couple of years has meant the world and we want to continue to keep our Dunc's name in everyone's hearts whilst raising money for the charity through these challenges & memories we hope to keep on creating."
The target is £5,000 for the canoe challenge. You can donate to the fundraiser by clicking here.
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