To me, I have no problem with Lois taking out a few thugs (say 4 at most) who are caught off-guard.
The pic from Man of Steel #3 on Lex' yacht made sense because Lex had hired these goons to look tough and attract Superman's attention. They were not supposed to have any serious chance at succeeding in hi-jacking the yacjht. So, it was still Lois against rent-a-thugs.
But Man of Steel #63 was Lois taking on a whole group of guys who were supposed to be professionals. She went from a reporter who can handle herself in a pinch to "hey this person belongs on a top flight commando team not writing up news stories". It felt (to me) less like Lois winning a local amateur boxing match in her weight class and more like Lois walking from the Planet over to Metropolis Square Garden and taking out the 5th ranked heavyweight champion in the world spur of the moment.