CARSON, California – Jerry Perez won his comeback bout Saturday from his first defeat, a knockout loss a year earlier.

Perez (14-1, 11 KOs) dropped previously unbeaten Erick Lanzas Jr. twice on his way to a fifth-round technical knockout on the non-televised portion of the Jermell Charlo-Brian Castano undercard at Dignity Health Sports Park. Lanzas Jr. (10-1, 7 KOs), of Homestead, Florida, got up from a fifth-round knockdown, but Perez unloaded several unanswered punches that made referee Jerry Cantu step between them and halt their scheduled six-rounder at 1:58 of the fifth round.

Perez previously dropped Lanzas with a right uppercut in the third round.

Perez, of Oak Hills, California, fought for the first time since rising lightweight contender Frank Martin (15-0, 11 KOs) knocked him out in the seventh round of their April 2021 bout at Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles.

In the bout before Perez’s victory, former IBF junior featherweight champion Marlon Tapales won his third straight fight.

Tapales’ right hook sent Jose Estrella to the canvas in the middle minute of the second round. Estrella tried to get up, but their fight was stopped at 1:39 of the second round.

The Philippines’ Tapales (36-3, 19 KOs) became the eighth opponent to knock out Mexico’s Estrella (23-19-1, 16 KOs) in his 13-year career.

In the previous fight Saturday, Jose Perez scored a knockdown late in the fourth round and defeated Anthony Chavez by unanimous decision in a six-round junior lightweight fight. Perez (10-1-2, 4 KOs), of Oak Hills, California, defeated Chavez (9-3-1, 3 KOs) by the same score, 58-55, on all three scorecards.

Prior to Perez’s victory, Anthony Cuba dropped Oscar Acevedo twice in the second round, when he stopped Acevedo in a lightweight fight that was scheduled for six rounds.

The 19-year-old Cuba, of Fontana, California, improved to 4-0-1, and recorded his third knockout. Los Angeles’ Acevedo lost for the first time as a pro (7-1, 0 KOs).

Their fight was stopped at 2:11 of the second round.

Before Cuba’s win, Los Angeles-based heavyweight Gurgen Hovhannisyan scored a second-round knockout of Jesse Bryan.

Hovhannisyan (3-0, 3 KOs) opened a cut over Bryan’s left eye with a punch in the first round and sent him to the canvas twice in the second round. Bryan (20-7-2, 16 KOs, 1 NC), of Jefferson City, Missouri, was counted out at 1:37 of the second round.

Also on the Charlo-Castano undercard, 18-year-old welterweight Jose Mejia won his pro debut by first-round knockout.

Mejia, of Palmdale, California, sent Matthew Reed (1-3, 1 KO), of Bakersfield, California, to the canvas twice before their four-rounder was halted at 2:27 of the opening round.

Argentinean heavyweight Luciano Sanchez also won his pro debut by first-round knockout.

Sanchez dropped Bakersfield’s Adrian Silva, who also made his pro debut, twice. Their scheduled four-rounder ended 1:37 into it.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.