LAS VEGAS – The youngest, most talented of Fernando Vargas’ three fighting sons scored another impressive knockout Thursday afternoon.

Emiliano Vargas dropped Brandon Mendoza twice, once in the first round and again in the second round, on his way to a second-round knockout on the Shakur Stevenson-Edwin De Los Santos undercard at T-Mobile Arena. Referee Harvey Dock halted their scheduled six-round lightweight bout as soon as Mendoza hit the canvas for the second time.

The official time of the stoppage was 57 seconds of the second round.

The 19-year-old Vargas drilled Mendoza with a right hand that knocked him to the canvas awkwardly 51 seconds into the second round. Dock realized that Mendoza was in no condition to continue and waved an end to the bout.

Mendoza (6-3, 6 KOs), of Panorama City, California, stumbled once he reached his feet, which quickly confirmed Dock’s decision to stop their fight.

Las Vegas’ Vargas upped his record to 8-0 and produced his seventh knockout. Fernando Vargas, a former junior middleweight champion and one of the most popular fighters of his era, trains his son.

Mendoza, 27, has lost three straight fights. Two of those defeats have come by knockout.

Before their fight abruptly ended early in the second round, a sweeping left hook by Vargas sent Mendoza down to one knee a few seconds after the midway mark of the opening round. Mendoza beat Dock’s count and took Vargas’ firepower for the remainder of the first round.

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