I think one thing many people liked about images from the era of B&W was that, without the element of colour, photographers that made the most of the graphic (shape?) impact of their photos often got noticed.
I've seen plenty of really subtle toned images without highlights that I also loved.
But if something was going to catch my eye on the front of a newspaper, the shapes would need to be a strong part of the image
The characters, classic composition.
I love Paco's image for so many reasons.
But it also happens to support the suggestion I've made above

No matter how many hours you spend in these studios Paco, your creative instincts always seem to be on-song