Madonna brought her new boyfriend Josh Popper, 29, out on stage as she performed on the first date of her “Celebration” world tour on Wednesday, December 13. He and the Queen of Pop, 65, judged fans’ dance moves as they danced to her hit “Vogue” at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, via Page Six. He smiled wide as he held up numbers to judge. Before he left the stage, he even gave Madge a kiss.
The “Like a Virgin” singer began dating the boxing instructor shortly after she split from her prior boyfriend Andrew Darnell. The singer had posed with the hunky fighter after one of his matches on February 12. She cozied up to him in an all-black outfit as he sported a white tank top. “I wanna thank my coaches, my team, and my Bredwinners family for pushing me to be my best in and out of the ring. I got some good people by my side,” he wrote in the caption of his Instagram post. Find out everything you need to know about Josh here!
Josh Is a New York-Based Boxing Instructor
While Josh hops in the ring from time to time, he also helps other people learn the art of boxing. He began sharing photos of himself showing off his boxing skills back in 2019. It’s not clear when exactly he began coaching himself, but he often shares photos and videos of himself teaching others some of his skills.
He Founded the Bredwinner’s Boxing Studio
Besides being a teacher, Josh is also a business owner. He launched Bredwinner in February 2021, and the gym had its grand opening that November, according to its Instagram. The business offers boxing lessons to people of all sorts of skill levels and also hosts events like watch parties.
He Reportedly Trains One of Madonna’s Kids
While it’s not clear exactly when Josh’s reported romance with the “Like A Virgin” singer began, the report from DailyMail does shed some light on to how the two met. Apparently, one of Josh’s students is one of Madonna’s children. It wasn’t revealed which of Madge’s kids is an aspiring boxer.
He Used to Play Football
Prior to pursuing his career as a boxing instructor and a fighter, Josh played another very physical sport: football. He was an even an NFL athlete, playing in camps for teams like the Cardinals and the Colts. It doesn’t appear that he played in any games, but he did pursue an NFL career before switching to boxing. Besides his athletics, he also briefly worked as an insurance salesman for New York Life Insurance, per his LinkedIn.
He Went to Rowan University
Before setting out to begin his career as an NFL football player, Josh was a student at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, according to his LinkedIn. While he didn’t specify what his major was or divulge many other details, he did say that he attended from 2011 to 205.