Resetting the MySQL root password in CentOS 6 is straight-forward.
sudo /etc/init.d/mysqld stop
sudo mysqld_safe --skip-grant-tables &
After the server has started, and if looks like it is hanging, press enter and the command prompt should become available again.
mysql -uroot
use mysql;
update user set authentication_string=PASSWORD("mypassword") where User='root';
flush privileges;
quit
sudo /etc/init.d/mysqld stop
sudo /etc/init.d/mysqld start
mysql -uroot -p
You should now be able to use your new password.