Maddox shares story of finding purpose in life
Aug. 13—Julius Maddox is the first person to admit he wasn't keen on being a leader when he was growing up.
The bench press world-record holder delivered the keynote address at the Owensboro Family YMCA Young Leaders Luncheon on Friday at the Jack T. Wells Activity Center on the Kentucky Wesleyan College campus, where he shared a message of inspiration, redemption and hope.
Only 10 years ago, Maddox was sitting in a jail cell awaiting what would become a four-month prison sentence for drug trafficking. In the time since, the Owensboro native's life has taken a 180-degree turn.
"I was in trouble," said Maddox, 35. "I was in the system. So, how do you break that? How do you pay your debt back to society? I paid my debts not by serving my time, but I feel more needs to done.
"We need to be more proactive in trying to combat that and deterring kids from the same things I went through."
The struggles Maddox went through and the hurdles he overcame, he added, could serve as a lesson in leadership for the high schoolers and local business leaders in attendance Friday.
His path to weight lifting began at the Owensboro YMCA, and his journey to finding himself started at Friends of Sinners as he battled drug addiction and depression.
"I used weight lifting to combat those things I was experiencing," said the almost 6-foot-4, 425-pounder. "Along with my faith, weight lifting helped transform me into a person I never thought I would be or could be.
"I was learning how to be a man, a dad, a son, a friend, a leader. In 2013, something happened. It was gradual. It didn't happen overnight, it was just part of the process."
In 2019, Maddox set his first world record with a bench press of 740 pounds. He's since broken that mark four times, with the current official record standing at 783 pounds from Feb. 21, 2021.
Unofficially, however, Maddox is only four pounds short of unheralded heights.
"My ultimate goal is an 800-pound bench press," he said. "I'm four pounds away, but four pounds is like a ton of bricks. An 800-pound bench press, that's something that nobody has ever even fathomed.
"It's not necessarily about the weight, but it's about the journey and the process of getting to that point. During the process, you find out where your character's at and what you're really made of."
Throughout the luncheon, the YMCA recognized aspiring local high school seniors and awarded numerous scholarships to help pay their college tuition. There was also a silent auction and a live auction to help raise money for the YMCA.
When Maddox was asked if he wanted to speak, he didn't hesitate.
"I remember a time in life when I had no purpose," he said. "I had no hope. It seemed like I was just a lost cause. I remember making a pact with God. These were my exact words: 'Lord, if you're real, then show me you're real and you'll give me purpose.'
"There's something about when a person finds a purpose in life, what that does to them and not only them but what their actions do to the community. For me, it had to be this. It's one of those things where if we say we're something, we have to back it up."
