Newly crowned IBO junior bantamweight champion Gideon "Hard Core" Buthelezi has laughed off claims that he used witchcraft to beat Makazole "The Professor" Tete in East London last month.

Buthelezi outclassed Tete in front of his fans and has since suggested to promoter Ayanda Matiti that they have a rematch after his vanquished opponent had fully recovered.

"I will prove to him and the Doubting Thomases who buy into his unfounded claims of witchcraft that I am superior," an agitated Buthelezi said yesterday.

He won emphatically on all three cards, by margins of 118-110, 119-09 and 116-103.

Buthelezi, from Boipatong in the Vaal, added: "The plan to beat Makazole was to stick to him like glue and not give him space to throw his punches but rather have him dealing with mine.

"He is a lazy boxer and is not used to fighting someone who brings it to him. He must just concede defeat and stop making unfounded claims because he is implying that I use muthi."

Tete said he had struggled inexplicably during the fight.

"I could not let my hands go. It was as if something was holding my hands.

"I could not talk, walk and ended up confined in bed after the fight.

"People advised us [myself and my parents] that we go and see a witchdoctor.

"We consulted a witchdoctor who told us that I needed some cleansing.

"He gave us some herbs and I have been using them. I am fine now.

"Look, no excuses, Gideon won the fight deservedly but the truth is something was very wrong with me although I can't tell you what it was."

Buthelezi, who was dismissed as a no-hoper after losing the same IBO strap to Filipino Edrin Dapudong in 2013, won the WBO African bantamweight belt from Namibian star Immanuel Naidjala in Namibia in 2014. He then embarrassed Doctor Ntsele in his home province of Free State for the WBA Pan African junior-bantamweight title before facing Tete.