One of boxing's most popular up-and-coming fighters punched his way to a 3rd round KO in Tijuana

• Jaime Munguia continues to show that he's one of the most popular up-and-coming fighters in boxing.
• The 25-year-old Mexican destroyed D'Mitrius Ballard in Saturday's showdown in Tijuana.

One of boxing's most popular up-and-coming fighters, Jaime Munguia, punched his way to a third-round knockout Saturday during a Golden Boy Promotions event in Tijuana, which was broadcast on DAZN.

A 25-year-old with 38 wins in his pro career so far, Munguia is an exciting commodity in combat sports.

But it's not because of his consistently awesome knockout rate but, rather, the extraordinary fanbase he's already acquired despite competing at a level below championship bouts.

According to Insider sources with knowledge of the situation, executives at DAZN are invested in Munguia for multiple reasons.

But key to the broadcaster's ambition in sport is acquiring athletes who drive subscription numbers, or retain pre-existing subscribers.

Munguia is one of those rare breeds who can do both for the platform, while also attracting good numbers to the gate as 10,000 ticket-buyers attended the open-air Bullring by the Sea arena in Mexico, for the boxer's homecoming.

And boy, did they leave satisfied.

Following a jab-happy opening round, Munguia landed a heavy left hook on Ballard early in the second.

That hometown support kicked in, as his fans began cheering each and every punch he threw.

Then, in the third, as Munguia got closer and closer to the bullseye, the beginning of the end of this fight was nigh.

Munguia sent Ballard crashing to the canvas with a counter left hook and, though he just beat the referee's count and was allowed to box on, Munguia put him back on the deck moments later because of a punching flurry.

Watch the highlights of the right here:

See a ringside point-of-view of the finish here:

Munguia edges closer to a middleweight title shot

Munguia called such a thumping victory in his hometown, in his homecoming, "a dream come true," in his post-match comments on DAZN.

"I realize dreams do come true," he said. "I remember being a little boy and being at the top up there [of the arena] and seeing Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. fight, and I told myself, 'I'm going to do that.'

"And what better place than to do that here in Tijuana, my hometown."

Victory advanced Munguia's pro boxing record to 38 wins (30 knockouts) and he remains unbeaten.

He is widely considered one of the finest fighters in the middleweight division, and he is in a good position to challenge for a championship bout in the WBA, WBC, or WBO world title organizations as he's ranked second in all those sanctioning body lists.

The WBO route makes the most sense, though, as the current champion, Demetrius Andrade, is a fighter who is contracted to DAZN.

As Munguia also competes on the DAZN network, negotiations should be more straightforward than other avenues that involve a rival broadcaster.