REINVENTING OSCAR; DE LA HOYA TAKES CONTROL OF HIS TRAINING AND CAREER.

Byline: Michael Rosenthal Daily News Staff Writer

Oscar De La Hoya doesn't like what he's become.

Inside the ring, he has evolved from a wrecking machine into a cautious, almost defensive fighter who shows only glimpses of the devastating force he was just a few years ago.

Outside the ring, De La Hoya, passive by nature, has deferred to those closest to him on many of his biggest decisions in the interest of peace. At 26, he's had enough.

``There's going to be changes,'' he said.

The most significant will be his approach to boxing.

De La Hoya, who fights Oba Carr in Las Vegas on Saturday, blasted his way through a string of nameless opponents in the first half of his career to build his reputation as a destroyer.

Then he and his advisers - principally father Joel De La Hoya Sr., businessman Mike Hernandez and promoter Bob Arum - decided to bring in experienced trainers to work with the relative novice Robert Alcazar as the fighter's opponents grew in stature.

De La Hoya was never the same.

Jesus Rivero turned him into a defense-first fighter. Emanuel Steward lasted only two fights because of clashes with Joel Sr. And with Gil Clancy in his camp, De La Hoya has remained tentative.

He still plowed through unworthy opponents, although he admits the good ones gave him trouble because he was no longer aggressive. Most significant, Miguel Angel Gonzalez, Pernell Whitaker and Ike Quartey made him look bad in some ways even though he beat each on points.

Then, in an instant, he seemed to be reborn.

It was in the 12th and final round of his last fight, against Quartey in February. He threw out everything he had learned and reverted to instinct, pummeling the Ghanan in an unforgettable span of 30 seconds to win an otherwise dull but close fight and retain his WBC welterweight championship.

The crowd went nuts and so did De La Hoya, a sensitive man who desperately wants to please his fans and silence any criticism. Then and there, he decided this is the fighter he wants to be.

``I wish (the trainers) would've worked with my style instead of trying to change it,'' De La Hoya said. ``That's been the case the last three, four years. I wasn't fighting my own fight. I was adjusting to my opponents instead of them adjusting to me. It should be the other way around. . . .

``The Quartey fight woke me up 100 percent. I'm going to listen to myself, do what got me here. What was I doing boxing Gonzalez and Whitaker? What was I doing trying to box Quartey? I should go in and try to destroy these guys.

``I'm going to walk through my opponents and finally be happy in the ring.''

Steward, one of the most respected trainers in the world, doesn't believe a kamikaze approach is wise against all opponents, even though De La Hoya said Steward was the only one who didn't try to change his style.

``The kid is always trying to please,'' he said. ``He wants to be loved, to be accepted more than any fighter I've seen in a long time.

``Against David Kamau (whom De La Hoya knocked out in two particularly violent rounds in 1997), I know he took the positive comments afterward to heart. He loved it. He wants to be happy even at the risk of losing.''

Steward might still be around had De La Hoya asserted himself earlier.

The trainer was dismissed in December of 1997 after he helped arrange for De La Hoya to go to Las Vegas to see the Evander Holyfield-Michael Moorer fight a month earlier. Apparently, Joel Sr. believed Steward was gaining influence and cut him off.

De La Hoya worked well with Steward - ``I was happy, feeling stronger,'' he said - but he didn't want to butt heads with his father.

``I hate arguing with my father,'' he said at the time. ``I don't want nothing between us. I love my father, I love my family.''

That was typical of De La Hoya: He would let his advisers push him around rather than make decisions with which he was more comfortable.

Last week, the new De La Hoya reiterated that he loves his father, who will remain a key element on his team. At the same time, he made it clear that he intends to speak his mind. To make his point, he has announced a plan of action.

One, he plans to limit his inner circle to only those he trusts most - both in terms of his boxing career and business interests - to keep the volume of advice manageable. Two, he's going to step down as co-promoter with Arum so he can focus solely on boxing. And, three, he said Clancy, another respected trainer, won't be back after Saturday's fight.

If he follows through, it will be clear that he has evolved into his own man.

``I've just been confused all these years. It's my fault because I stay quiet,'' said De La Hoya, who refused to divulge the advisers with which he's had the most difficulty.

``People throw their ideas out left and right and sometimes I agree with them because I don't want to deal with it.

``The co-promoting thing I thought was a good thing because others thought it was a good thing. Now, the way it's going to be is he (Arum) is going to be the promoter and I'm going to be the fighter.

``The confusion, the headaches. I don't want that anymore.''

The decision to make Alcazar his sole mentor is significant. Many in the boxing world believe the affable young trainer lacks the knowledge to guide De La Hoya to true greatness. Steward said bluntly that De La Hoya isn't developing into a complete fighter in the vein of Sugar Ray Leonard or Tommy Hearns.

However, Alcazar, a former professional fighter who worked with Joel Sr., has two things going for him: He has always been a proponent of controlled aggressiveness and he and De La Hoya are close friends. So from now on, De La Hoya said, it's Alcazar, cut man Chuck Bodak and that's it.

``Robert and I are training so well right now,'' De La Hoya said. ``We're going back to my old style, trying to get the knockout. That style has worked for me my whole life. That's when I'm happy in the ring, when I hit and don't get hit, when I feel most comfortable. And as long as I'm happy in the ring, everything else falls into place.

``Me, Robert and Chuck and nobody else. That's just the way it's gonna be.''

No matter what anyone says.

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Photo: (Color) Welterweight champion Oscar De La Hoya, left, with trainer Roberto Alcazar, says he is changing his approach to boxing.

Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press