Luke Ashlocke goes for the comedy knockout

January 19, 2015 at 12:05a.m.

When comedian Luke Ashlocke is on stage, he can’t help but take the same approach as a boxer looking to defeat an opponent.

“I always double up my jabs; I’m not a fool,” said Ashlocke, calling from Los Angeles. “I double jab, and as soon as they drop their guard, I’ll go in for the KO. I hope to deliver three or four KOs per hour.”

You’ll have to attribute Ashlocke’s pugilistic analogy to a simple case of once a boxer always a boxer. Growing up in Glasgow, Scotland, he boxed alongside his father and brothers.

However, it was also during that time he discovered a love for stand-up comedy. Eventually, after a few forgettable jobs, he came stateside and started going to open-mic nights. He’s worked his way up, appearing on The Comedy Network’s “The Great Canadian Laugh Off” and “The Montreal Comedy Festival,” as well as The CW’s “The Daily Buzz” and NBC’s “Night Shift.”

In 2011, Ashlocke was voted breakout artist of the year by the Los Angeles Comedy Awards. He also won a London Film Festival award for his appearance in the feature “Vicky and Sam.”

The funnyman, who is a regular on the Bob and Tom radio show, returns to Northeast Ohio for shows this weekend at the Comedy Cellar at Mojo’s Pub and Grill in Austintown.

“I was in the area last year,” Ashlocke said. “I’m a huge boxing fan. I know it’s a big boxing community, and Kelly Pavlik is from that area. Ohioans are known for being able to kick back a pint, and that’s the truth.”

As far as being the boxing comedian, Ashlocke said he’s a lightweight in the sense he’s known for his rapid-fire material that often gets him compared to Robin Williams.

“It’s funny — when people find out you’re a comedian, they say, ‘Tell me a joke,’” Ashlocke said. “But when I tell them I was a boxer, they weren’t like, ‘Oh, can you knock me out?’”

While he has a few albums — “I’ll be Nicer When You Are Smarter,” “If My Jokes Don’t Kill Them I’m Sure This Gun Will Help” and “Head Full of Tales” — to his credit, Ashlocke’s latest contribution is viral video Meghan Trainor parody “All About That Beef.”

“I thought it was really good, but I had a horrible response to that video,” Ashlocke said. “I got some hate mail. It’s quite funny but, basically, they’re slamming me about slamming them and how it’s unfair that I slam them, but it’s hypocritical.

“They slam me because I’m ugly, and I have too much hair, but I should respect them for being big. But I was talking about Meghan Trainor. I wasn’t talking about the whole world. Now fat chicks hate me.”

The funnyman seemed perplexed when it was asked whether they already hated him prior to the viral video.

“I think so; I don’t know,” Ashlocke said, laughing. “Good question. You stumped me there. That’s a good possibility.”