MIAMI – Just days after Muhammad Ali's death, his wife, Khalila, told Local 10 News a few stories about the boxing legend.
During his time in Miami, Ali noticed many Muslims praying in homes. There was a need for a mosque, so he bought out an old church and turned it into a mosque that still stands today.
On the first day of Ramadan, Khalila Ali shared her stories.
She said they first met when she was 10 years old when Ali, then Cassius Clay, visited her school.
"He said, 'I'm going to be the world champ in four years, get your autographs now.'" she said.
Khalila said she wasn't impressed.
"I told him come back to me when (he had) a better name," she said.
Khalila Ali no doubt helped mold the man who's now known as a legend.
They married when she was 16 years old. It was with her that Ali became Muslim and took his new name. In 1965, they helped purchase a church on 52nd Street and NW 7th Avenue in Miami. They turned it into a mosque that is now the oldest in Florida.
"The most important thing about Muhammad Ali was that he was Muslim," said Abdul Muhsin, Masjid Al-Ansar. "He believed there was one God."
Days after her husband's death, Khalila Ali still can't believe he's gone, because he fought back so many times before.
"I still don't get it," she said. "I won't believe it till I see it. I'm in denial."
Khalila Ali lives in South Florida. She'll be in Louisville later this week for her husband's funeral.