"Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee," said boxing's self-proclaimed "Greatest." And he did float. With his beautiful feet, the famous Ali bounced, shuffled, leaped, sprinted, slid, twisted, cut, and raced his way into the boxing hall of fame. Few could move as gracefully and lyrically as he did. Even fewer had such brilliant footwork or used their feet so cleverly in combat. Muhammad Ali was one of the greatest boxers of all time and over the course of his career he won an incredible number of fights by knockout. He was also known for his flashy footwork, which often involved dancing away from his opponents with his feet. Ali began learning how to dance at a very young age. His father, a former dancer who performed with the Ringling Brothers Circus, taught him many different styles of dance, including jazz, tap, and waltz, and made sure he practiced what he learned. When Ali was only 6 years old he started training in karate, and by the time he turned 10 he was already winning medals in international competitions. As he grew older, his love for boxing led him to study it further. By the time he was 18 he had read every book that had ever been written on the subject and was one of the few black athletes at the time who knew his rights under the law.