Madonna confirms rumoured romance with boxer Josh Popper, 29

Madonna has seemingly confirmed her rumoured romance with 29-year-old boxer, Josh Popper, by posting a selfie of the pair kissing to her Instagram story.

The 64-year-old singer recently sparked relationship speculation with the boxing coach after she posted several photos of herself spending time with Popper at a New York City gym. The two were first spotted together on 12 February, when the 29-year-old athlete shared a picture to his Instagram with his arm around the pop star as she held his bicep. Most recently, Madonna was spotted cheering on Popper at his boxing match on Friday 3 March.

Taking to her Instagram story on Tuesday, the “Like a Virgin” singer shared several photos from a Purim celebration in honour of the Jewish holiday. Madonna was seen dressed in an all-black ensemble with a lace face covering, black cat eye sunglasses, and a leather jacket. In one of the photos, she appeared to be kissing Popper – who was also wearing a black ski mask with just his eyes and nose visible.

“Killers who are partying,” she captioned the story.

The Daily Mail was first to report the budding romance between Madonna and Popper. A source told the outlet that the two first met after Popper began teaching boxing to one of Madonna’s six children. According to his Instagram bio, Popper is a formal NFL athlete based in New York City, and is the founder of Bredwinners boxing gym in Manhattan. He also appeared on the latest season of the Bravo reality show, Summer House.

Madonna recently called it quits with 23-year-old model Andrew Darnell, five months after they were first seen kissing at a concert. The “Hung Up” singer was previously linked to 28-year-old backup dancer, Ahlamalik Williams. The two broke up in April 2022 after three years of dating.

The new relationship comes one month after Madonna accused Grammy viewers of “ageism and misogyny” over criticism about her appearance. During the 2023 awards ceremony, she appeared on stage to introduce Sam Smith and Kim Petras before their “Unholy” performance. However, several social media users said Madonna’s “face is covered in plastic surgery” and suggested that she “should focus on ageing gracefully”.

In an Instagram post, Madonna responded to critics.

“Instead of focusing on what I said in my speech which was about giving thanks for the fearlessness of artists like Sam and Kim, many people chose to only talk about close-up photos of me taken with a long lens camera by a press photographer that would distort anyone’s face,” she said. “Once again I am caught in the glare of ageism and misogyny that permeates the world we live in. A world that refuses to celebrate women pass [sic] the age of 45 and feels the need to punish her if she continues to be strong-willed, hard-working, and adventurous.”

The singer pointed out that she’s been “degraded by the media since the beginning of my career but I understand that this is all a test and I am happy to do the trailblazing so that all the women behind me can have an easier time in the years to come.”

Madonna ended her message with the Beyoncé lyric: “You won’t break my soul.”