Only difference is she sucks at punching.

I'm not trying to defend his actions. His best course would have been to get away from the situation (whether it was a woman or otherwise). Especially since he has a lot on the line.

But if you are going to choose to defend yourself, you either do it all the way or you don't do it at all.
You don't throw a half assed punch and you don't shoot a pinky toe.