Madonna and her boxer boyfriend, Josh Popper, have decided to call it quits after a whirlwind year-long romance. The pop icon and the much younger athlete found their relationship strained by Madonna’s grueling Celebration Tour schedule.
Madonna, 65, and Josh, 30, initially hit it off when Josh started giving boxing lessons to Madonna’s son, David Banda. However, as her tour took her around the globe, the couple struggled to find time for each other.
A source close to the situation said, “Madonna has barely seen Josh for months because her schedule was so hectic. Things just fizzled out. There is genuinely no bad blood — they’re still fond of each other. At the moment, their relationship doesn’t feel feasible, and they’ve cooled things off, but they are staying friends.”
Josh was a supportive presence when Madonna was hospitalized with a bacterial infection last June. He even joined her and her family for a birthday celebration in Portugal last August, where he received the thumbs up from her eldest son, Rocco Ritchie.
During her hit tour, which wrapped up earlier this month, Josh made a cameo in the visuals for her song “Erotica” and joined her on stage during a Brooklyn concert in December. His last Instagram post about Madonna was on Valentine’s Day, sharing photos of them together with the caption: “Missing Portugal.”
Despite their breakup, it appears the split was amicable. “There is genuinely no bad blood — they’re still fond of each other,” the source continued.
Madonna’s team has yet to comment on the breakup. This relationship began in early 2023 following her split from backing dancer Ahlamalik Williams the previous year. The Queen of Pop even cheered Josh on at a boxing match in Brooklyn last March.
Madonna has long been known for her unconventional approach to life and relationships. In a 2019 interview, she stated, “People are becoming more and more accepting of unconventional lifestyles, unconventional relationships, marriages, families. I fit into that category. I have six children, four of them are adopted and I’m not married. I continue to defy convention in terms of having an unconventional family.”
