Here’s Literally Why Madonna Broke up With Her Young Boyfriend Josh Popper

The relationship between Madonna and her boxer lover Josh Popper, which lasted almost a year, has ended. Since Madonna's Celebration Tour was so demanding, the pair, who had met via the pop star's son David Banda, gracefully broke up. A source recently revealed to The Sun, "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."

Their breakup occurred seven months after the O2 Arena in London hosted the launch of the much-anticipated Celebration Tour by the Queen of Pop in October 2023. Just earlier this month, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, she performed a huge free performance to end the tour. They started dating in early 2023, after she broke up with her backup dancer, Ahlamalik Williams, in 2022. They were mutually supportive of each other's professions; Madonna was seen at a couple of Popper's bouts in New York, and he was able to accompany her on her global tour dates. 

The precise moment that their love affair began is unclear, but it was probably between Banda's start at Bredwinners and Madonna and Popper's first Instagram appearance together. The singer and her purported lover were seen in several images taken at Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn after the boxing bout he had in February 2023. They made an unusually public appearance on December 13th, last year. Popper made an appearance during her sold-out performance at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. In Estere's Ball, a set piece inspired by Vogue, Popper assisted Madonna in judging ballroom dancers. In appreciation for his help, she kissed him on the cheek. Popper subsequently posted an Instagram photo showing the two of them with '10' signals to Madonna's dancers, captioning it, "10's all around @madonna."

After she was seen at a New York City event with singer Eric Labat as reported by Just Jared, rumors began circulating that she and Popper had parted ways. Numerous high-profile romances have defined Madonna's romantic life. Dancer Brahim Zaibat and model Kevin Sampaio are just two of the younger men who have been romantically connected to Madonna. Her romantic life has been mostly under wraps for the last several years, however, rumors and conjecture of potential new relationships do surface from time to time.

A little over two weeks have passed since the singer returned to her hometown of New York after the conclusion of her tour. After Madonna's struggle with a major bacterial illness in late June, which led to a trip to the intensive care unit (ICU), the Celebration Tour was postponed by three months. It was originally supposed to begin on July 15, 2023, in Vancouver, Canada. The four-night run at London's O2 Arena started on October 14 and continued around Europe until early December as part of the retrospective tour. Afterward, it traveled to North America, beginning with performances in Brooklyn's Barclays Center and continuing until mid-April. After that, it stopped in Mexico City for a string of events.